Broken Mirrors
by Alexis Wolfe
Summary: Itachi Uchiha is a man dedicated to unraveling the mystery surrounding the sudden disappearance of his brother three years ago. After the case goes cold, he is called out to investigate a domestic violence case at the home of Sakura Haruno. What he finds reopens the case and leads him down the dark path of love, loss, and revenge. Ita/Saku Rated M for violence, sex, and drugs.
1. Unseasonably Warm

**Hello everyone, **

**Welcome to my newest and first story writing as Alexis Wolfe. As a veteran fan-fiction writer, I find it a bit strange to have no stories on my profile and even stranger not waking up to a plethora of emails first thing in the morning. Some of you may know me from my previous account mindlesschaos, most notable for the story Tomorrow Unknown. This is a new account and I hope I can write freely without being constrained by the ideals people forced me into while writing for my last account. **

**That being said, my newest work is a romance drama, a genre I am not unfamiliar with and find quite pleasing as a reader. I will be posting many other stories concurrently with this one, so if you like Broken Mirrors, be sure to keep an eye out for my other works coming out soon. **

**Without further ado, I present you with my newest work, Broken Mirrors**

**-Wolfe**

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><p><strong>Unseasonably Warm<strong>

Itachi inched his way through the packed locker room, occasionally bumping into a fellow officer who had already claimed valuable space on the worn bench running down the center of the locker columns. When the section labeled "U" finally appeared in the crowd of bodies, he wasted no time in worming his way towards the row, his arms guiding people out of the way and himself forward as if he were swimming. Finally, with an exasperated sigh, the man plopped into a spot that emptied just as he drew near. Beside him, people did the same, dropping into seats the second a spot opened. Some people opted to stand, and on more than one occasion Itachi found himself doing just that.

"I see you found yourself a place today, Itachi."

Shaking his head, Itachi reached out to unlock his locker. "Yeah, if Naruto hadn't have left, I'd be standing up for the day."

Shisui nodded and continued strapping his officer gear into place. "I kinda wish they would hurry up and start the new locker room expansion. I think having a separate unit for each of the twenty-six letters would make shift change go so much faster." With a slight tug the Uchiha pulled his belt into position and systematically checked to make sure everything on his belt was in place. "If you think about it, the less common letters will have it easy. I mean there aren't really that many 'U' surnames in Konoha." He smiled and looked at Itachi before sighing. "It's still caught in bureaucratic hell isn't it?"

"Ever since Orochimaru became the Chief of Police, this place has been going to shit. Everyone on the advising board hates him, but everyone, myself included, knows that if we attempt to go against him, we'll be fired." Lowering his voice, Itachi leaned forward and motioned Shisui to do the same. "There are a few of us that don't even think the department actually has the money. With Orochimaru and his slimy assistant being so dodgy during meetings . . ." He trailed off, but Shisui nodded slightly in understanding.

"There's a promotion meeting on Wednesday isn't there?" Shisui's eyes locked with Itachi's. "I mean, don't you think there's a good chance you could finally be promoted to Chief Detective? You're the _only_ one that qualifies for the position after Jiraya leaves."

"Shisui, we don't even know if Jiraya is even going to take the FBI position. You know the geezer, he's as much a part of this place as Orochimaru, and Tsunade down in the forensics lab."

Itachi had pulled the majority of his gear on by this point and all that remained were his belt, badge and weapon. Standing up, he reached around himself and strapped the belt down, making sure everything was in place as Shisui had done moments before. Starting from the left he patted down his pepper spray, followed by his handcuff case, walkie-talkie, mag light, baton, and a pouch of latex gloves. After confirming everything was attached well and properly oriented,Itachi reached for his holster. The gun was a Smith and Wesson M&P 9. While most other officers preferred the Beretta 92, when the Konoha Police Department changed to the MP9 Itachi was rather pleased. The weapon was much smaller, allowing detectives to conceal their weapons while investigating, yet was still powerful enough that no one complained about it's size. Itachi quickly buckled on his holster, relaxing when the familiar weight once again pressed against his right hip.

By this time, Shisui had already left to grab his car keys and make city rounds. The day was still young and the sun had yet to peek over the horizon, leaving the city of Konoha in a dim, hazy light. A slight fog had settled and outside car lights reflected brilliantly against the mist, making double sunbursts for each car. The autumn air was crisp and the fog was not out of place for the time of year. Itachi looked down on the street below him and saw early morning couples walking in the street light hand in gloved hand, as the girls always seemed to have some sort of colorful mitten on. On occasion he'd see a mother pushing kids along the way, rambunctious little cretins who would run too and fro taunting their mother before succumbing to some means be it the horrible death glare or the promise of ice-cream.

The locker room was mostly empty by now, with only a few of the officers left, mainly those getting off their shift moving in weary, time ingrained autopilot. Itachi took this as his cue to head into the main office area. Unlike most of the other desks in the room, Itachi's was fairly clean, his files neatly organized into manilla folders, case related folders bound together with binder clips and stacked one on another with neatly written labels facing the outside. When he was done with a case and had finally closed it, the bound stack would then be moved into the records room and he would start the process over again. Only one closed file lay on his desk. The label on the outside clearly reading _Uchiha, Sasuke. _

After three years, the search for his younger brother had become an obsession. When the case first opened, every officer in the district had pitched in to help the investigation. Over thirty leads had been tracked down to their various ends over the course of only a few days. Sasuke had literally disappeared without a trace. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Before Itachi knew it, a year had passed without any new leads. The overwhelming support he had at the beginning of the investigation began to dwindle to just him, Shisui and Uzumaki Naruto. After the second year, they too disappeared. Itachi never gave up.

Itachi sat at his desk and resisted the urge to pull the case file towards him. He had all but memorized every detail in the file, but he poured through it daily hoping that maybe something would catch his eye, maybe he missed something. The Uchiha's hands shook as he reached for a pen to occupy his hands. The file loomed before him and he wanted nothing more than to open it and peruse its naked secrets. He put the pen down and reached out for the file.

"Yo Itachi!"

The sudden voice made Itachi jump and pull his hand back like a child caught in the act of stealing cookies. He quickly picked his pen back up and looked promptly at the man who had come up beside him. Without even listening to the words, Itachi knew someone had called in for a case. Reaching into a drawer, he pulled out a small black notebook and opened it, poising his pen above the paper.

Tobi was the new intern and few people, Itachi included, could actually stand being around him. "So there was a call to send people out! Um, what was I saying . . . ? Oh yeah! Some dude was beatin' on his lady friend and he got a little rough. The neighbors called us and this old lady was freaking out. Said there was screaming and yelling and all kinds of bad stuff." The young man spoke faster and faster with words tumbling over one another and colliding into new unintelligible gobs of gibberish while jumping slightly in his spot.

"Tobi, calm down and speak to me slowly. All I need it the address I'm going to and important details." Itachi took a deep breath and mentally reminded himself that the kid was new and still excitable. Like a puppy. A puppy that you really wanted to kick.

The young man stopped hopping in place and looked Itachi dead in the eye. "There is a reported case of domestic violence at 1501 Oak Plaza. The two people are purportedly at the scene; the homes primary resident twenty year old Haruno Sakura and her live in boyfriend. The altercation allegedly began around 4:00 this morning. The suspect has allegedly left the scene, the victim's location is currently unknown. Squad 6 has also been dispatched, they will be on the scene shortly after you." The now stoic faced man broke his dead-locked eyes from Itachi and walked away. No-one looking at him now would recognize him as the boy who, moments ago, was bouncing in place while babbling nonsense.

Itachi sighed and closed notebook. Dealing with Tobi always set him on edge. The young man had an air about him that led people to believe he was a hell of a lot smarter than he initially put out to be. With a new assignment pressing on his mind, the Uchiha suddenly pushed himself away from the desk and stood up. Grabbing his jacket and his keys, he shot one last look at the folder on his desk before throwing his coat on and leaving the office.

No one bothered him as he left the building. The stern set of his jaw and the piercing gaze in his eyes probably deterred the new officers, and the old officers knew not to bother him when he was leaving on assignment. Itachi made no sound as he strode forward, his long steps devouring the hallway as he moved towards the door. The glass doors made only a slight _whoosh_ as the Uchiha pushed past them and made a muffled _thud_ as they shut behind him. His car was parked in front of the building. Because of his Detective rank, Itachi rarely drove an issue impala with the red and blue lights perched over the top. Instead, he'd been issued a nondescript black SUV any layman would drive.

The drive across town also passed uneventfully. The fog had lifted by this time, and only the soft gray of the morning remained. Traffic started picking up as the sun peaked over the horizon, piercing through the morning twilight, bathing the city in in a bright orange glow that reflected off passing vehicles. The cold chill of fall still froze people's breath, but the bright morning promised a warm afternoon and an unseasonably nice day.

Oak Plaza was a strange place to hear of domestic violence. Most calls of the sort sent droves of cops to a ghetto trailer park where they would find three children clinging to the skirts of a battered woman and a drunk man in a food and sweat stained tank-top swearing at the top his lungs he was innocent until proven guilty. This street however, was located on one of the nicer sides of town and every house came complete with huge white walls adorned with equally large, black, wrought iron gates. The gated homes were all beautifully made from bricks with multiple floors stretching upwards into a pointed, slate roof.

The residence at 1501 Oak Plaza had only slight differences from the surrounding homes. This one bore beautiful oak shutters that were still closed from the night before and had a less sloped roof with four dormer windows protruding from the main body. The pristine, motley of red, brown, oranges and tan bricks melded well together and allowed the off-white of the front door to stand out against the shadow of the gardens in front of it.

Itachi cautiously drove towards the ominous looking gates and was pleasantly surprised when they automatically opened as he drew near. As he began to look closer, his initial idea of the house slipped away, leaving a bad taste in his mouth. The surrounding gardens lie wilted and unattended, decaying leaves dropping from plants and falling to the ground leaving a crunchy, brown path towards the door. The leaves formed small piles with inroads pushing divots into the opposite side of the little mounds, causing Itachi to think someone had recently left in a hurry. The paint on the front door had collected a coating of dark brown dust and numerous cracks covered the surface, each originating from crunched circles imprinted in the door. Upon closer inspection, the circles were actually fist marks.

The Uchiha reached out and grasped a bronze knocker on the door and rapped a total of three times on the striking plate. After a couple minutes he knocked again, putting more force behind the raps, causing the knocks to echo in the dead garden and ominously through the house. When no answer came, he tried the knob and to his relief it turned under his hand, allowing entrance into the house. Itachi scribbled furiously in his notebook, making sure not to miss anything important. He noted the dilapidated state of the exterior, adding as an after thought, the evidence of someone leaving the scene and the fist marks on the door. A full description of the living room followed.

Inside, the house sat in gloomy darkness; the sickly sweet smell of alcohol lingered in the air, forcing it's way into the lungs of the unsuspecting. In the gloom, Itachi noticed large stains of indeterminate origin and gingerly picked his way around them as he made his way through what appeared to be the living room. Reaching into his police belt, he retrieved his mag light and with a _click_ bathed the room in white light. In the center of the room he noticed a coffee table covered in white powder, aluminum foil, glass pipes, lighters and beer bottles with varying amounts of liquid festering inside. The couch it sat in front of had stuffing oozing out of badly patched holes, the once white cotton sporting a yellowish brown tinge, most likely, as Itachi noted, stained from years of smoking in the house. On the other side of the couch, an end table balanced precariously against the couch, one of its four legs broken. The top had fragments of glass embedded in the wood from what appeared to be the shattered glass top now laying on the floor beside it.

Shining his light on the pile, Itachi suddenly became aware of the fresh blood trail starting from the table and leading towards a closed door. He quickly pocketed his notebook, opting instead to unholster his M&P. Stalking forward, the Uchiha held his gun up, bracing it over his mag light. When he neared the room, he braced himself against the left of the door and silently listened before yelling out. "KPD! Open the door!" His voice echoed through the empty house and no one answered his call. "Okay. I'm going to enter the room!"

Unlike the front door, this one was locked. Stepping back, Itachi put himself about a meter from the door and kicked to the left of the knob. The door burst open, fragmenting the the wood to the right of the the locking mechanism and pulling the top hinge out of place. The now useless barrier swung into the room, pulling down on the bottom hinge and leaning inwards. The bedroom lay in the same unlit gloom as the rest of the house and seemed to be in the same messy state as well. First thing upon walking in, Itachi checked the corners to the left and right, his light falling on piles of clothing, condoms, syringes, empty beer bottles and cans; trash of all types. The bed had rumpled, black covers wadded up in the center of it. The fitted sheet underneath had pulled loose from the top two corners, revealing a horribly stained pillow top mattress underneath, its yellow stuffing pushing out of small gashes on the top.

The blood trail led him around the bed to another door, this time slightly ajar. A small beam of light emanated from the crack , lighting up a bloody hand print smearing the side of the door frame. Cautiously Itachi stepped forward and nudged the door open with his foot, gun pointed at the widening entrance. About half-way, the door stopped on something and refused to go open any further. Squeezing himself through the gap, he hurriedly checked his right corner, shining his light on a bathtub spattered in blood, its curtain half-way ripped from the railing. With a deep breath he stepped fully into the room and around the door.

The blood smeared body of a young woman lay face-up, sprawling behind the door. She was scantily clad in a ripped blouse that exposed her midriff and a bloodstained bra. Other than that, the young woman wore nothing. Her pink hair splayed across the floor, soaking up the puddle of blood that had pooled around her. On her pasty white arms, Itachi noticed innumerable track lines running in blue and black swatches down the underside. The woman sported other bruises, each a different age than the last, from her face onto her neck and down her thighs. A knife protruded from her shoulder.

Itachi pulled a pair of gloves from his pouch and pulled them on quickly. Then, being careful to avoid the puddle of blood, he reached forward to place two fingers on her jugular, knowing what he would find. When a second passed with nothing he rolled he eyes and went to pull his hand away.

_Thump. _

He stopped and pressed his fingers closer. A second passed and he thought it was wishful thinking that kept his hand there.

_Thump._

This time he was sure he felt the pulse and kept his hand there.

_Thump._

With no time to lose, the Uchiha was ripping off his gloves and reaching for his walkie-talkie.

"Dispatch. This is Uchiha Itachi at 1501 Oak Plaza. We have a 10-45C. I repeat. This is Uchiha Itachi at 1501 Oak Plaza. We have a 10-45C."

/_Copy that. This is Dispatch. Ambulance is on the way./_

"Copy that."

Itachi grabbed another set of gloves, throwing them over his hands quickly so he could help the victim. He pulled the blade, a dull kitchen knife with a serrated edge, out of her shoulder. With practiced hands, he placed his hand, palm first, over the wound, pressing his weight against it. He listened intently and finally heard a small movement of air around her mouth. There was no rattle or wheezing, so he was sure her lung hadn't been punctured.

Suddenly the girl's eyes flew open and she started thrashing against Itachi. Her face was set in a mask of terror and her eyes darted around wildly. Itachi attempted to placate the woman with soothing words, but she only screamed and spat on his face.

"Get off of me!" The woman convulsed under his pressured grip and thrashed around as Itachi attempted to keep her in place. "Let go of me! Noooo! Stop!" The screaming turned into hideous growls as the woman lashed out, flailing her arms around. "Get. Of off. MEEEEE!" The woman's screeching echoed in the bathroom and through the house.

Two more officers suddenly had the woman pinned down, one with his knees holding her legs down, the other pinning her arms. The woman continued thrashing and screaming obscenities at the top of her lungs, trying to force the three men holding her down off. Itachi struggled to keep his hand in place, fearing any more blood loss would mean certain death for the woman.

"Let go of me! I ha-" The woman's voice broke in the middle of her screech, a silent wheeze emanating instead. The girls eye's opened widely and suddenly she started coughing loud, whooping coughs. A fount of blood spewed from her mouth, turning the coughs into sickly gargles. The already pale woman looked translucent in the orange glow of the bathroom, the crimson streams of blood running in little rivulets from the corners of her mouth. "Help-" She coughed another horrible racking cough followed by a staggering sigh. "Help me!" The panic set in quickly, her breath coming in short ragged gasps, tears racing down her face, the clenching of her fists.

"Shhh. We have help coming." Itachi sweetly comforted her. Placing his free hand under her head, the Uchiha gently tilted it to the side so that he could look her in the eyes. "Just calm down, I'm here and I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

The woman looked at him and bit her lip, a pained expression crossing her features. The question was barely audible "Is . . . is that you Sasuke?" Her eyes rolled back and closed.

Itachi's heart stopped as his breath caught in his throat. That name, his _brothers _name. This woman knew Sasuke. Maybe she knew where he was, maybe, just maybe . . .

A hand suddenly pulled his away from the wound and replaced it with a wad of gauze.

"We've got this now. Excellent work Uchiha." The paramedic took Itachi's place, working with his partner to strap the woman onto a gurney. Once the bright yellow straps were in place, they raised the bed and hurriedly rolled the woman from the room, to an ambulance outside, leaving the three officers in a circle looking at one another.

Inuzuka looked at his colleague and then at Itachi. "So . . . about what she said. Do you-"

Officer Aburame elbowed the man in the ribs. "Itachi, we know what you're thinking. Looking at this woman and the state of the house, do you really think you want to find him?"

Closing his eyes and composing himself, Itachi inwardly counted to ten before addressing the two men before him. "Inuzuka. Aburame. We must search the premise for any clues that may help us in the investigation regarding Ms. Haruno and her attacker. I have already canvased most of the lower floor. There were signs of a hastily made exit outside, I would like the two of you to further investigate the perimeter. I will continue my work inside." The tone in his voice left no room for objections. The addressed officers left the room, carefully avoiding the blood trail, knowing the detective in the other room would flay them living if they contaminated evidence.

Itachi was left to his own devices as the voices of Aburame and Inuzuka faded into the house. A shiver ran up his spine and he stuttered an excited sigh. Trying to compose himself, the Uchiha reached into his pocket and pulled out a notebook. This was not the same notebook he wrote details in earlier, this notebook was a battered, leather bound relic covered inside and out with scribbles akin to those of a mad-man. Inside, yellowing pages bore copious notes with circled words, scribbles, suspect sketches. Each page bore details regarding the disappearance to his brother, at one time or another every note meant a lead, and every lead led Itachi one step closer to Sasuke. But every lead had dried up, every note meaningless in the grand scheme, and suddenly rather than hotly pursing a fresh trail, he followed a cooling trail in reverse.

With the house cleared, Itachi was able to turn on the interior lights . . . at least the ones that hadn't been busted out. With a keen eye, he began to systematically scour the house for any signs of his brother. With both his current notebook and the one specifically for his personal case, Itachi surveyed the kitchen. The knife block held no knives, instead, it lay on its side covered in crusted on food and grease. The sink reeked of rotten food, soured milk, and all manner of retched things the Uchiha refused to investigate further. Normally, wooden floors in a house denoted wealth, but the marred surfaces before him were neither welcoming nor beautiful as they seemed to suck surrounding light into them, leaving a dull lifeless expanse for roaches to crawl across. In the fridge he found only a soured gallon of milk and some molded over food. This area thankfully was devoid of roaches.

The rest of the lower floor followed the same example as the living room and the bedroom, piles of condoms, needles, clothing, beer bottles, random stains and drug bags. At one point the Uchiha poked through a clothing pile to find a mother cat with four kittens hanging off of its tests. He quickly called Inuzuka in to tend to the cat, seeing as the young man's family ran a veterinary clinic. Next to where the tabby had been nursing, a beautiful staircase led to the the upper portion of the house.

As Itachi climbed the stairs, the rancid odor of drugs and alcohol slowly faded and was instead replaced with a strong mixed smell of sweet perfume and musky cologne. The second floor wrapped around into a large O shape, with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a sitting room, and a sun room with a balcony. The stairs ended in the center of the O, and the banisters leveled into a railing around the center, allowing curious people to look over them onto the floor below. From the top of the stair way, a bathroom with a bedroom to each side could clearly be seen. Directly across, two rooms and a bathroom mirrored the first. On the far left, two glass doors opened into an empty sun room with a glass roof, and a balcony leading to the outside. To the far right, another sitting room lay in complete darkness.

Starting with the bedroom directly to the left of the sun room, Itachi carefully opened the door and was mildly surprised to find a neatly made bed, an empty chest of drawers, a lamp, and an empty closet. Nothing stained the carpet, the walls were clean, and the room smelled faintly of perfume. The bathroom too was completely clean. The shower curtain was pulled back and tied with a small sash, the toilet was clean, the mirrors bore no smudges. Nothing was out of place. The second bedroom matched the first.

The sitting room baffled Itachi the most out of all of the rooms thus far. With the living room downstairs in such a horrible state, he had half expected the same piles of filth to litter the floor. Quite to the contrary, the room was filled with sheet covered furniture. On closer inspection, the furniture proved to be the kind of expensive upper class furniture you would expect to find in an upper end house. Under a few of the sheets, he found huge oak chests of drawers, a beautifully crafted mirror with intricate carvings all around the frames. There were paintings from no name painters to Picasso and Monet under another set of sheets. Everything that should have been in the rest of the house appeared to be crammed into this one room. Itachi noted in his investigation notebook his idea everything was in there to be protected.

Itachi strode out of the sitting room slightly discouraged at the lack of any findings regarding either the current case, or the search for Sasuke. He sighed, hoping to finish the investigation and head back to the office, at least there he could riffle through the case file and ponder. The third bedroom door took a bit of a push before it opened with the grinding sound of wood on wood. As the Uchiha walked in the smell hit him first. Not the putrid decaying smell that had permeated the floor downstairs, this was the thick, intoxicating smell of perfume. Inside, this room appeared to actually be in use. The white and red embroidered comforter showed signs of someone sitting or laying on it, as it had wrinkles in the center and on the edges of it. The pillows were strewn across the top in what seemed to be an after thought and in one case, a pillow was missing its red cover. Looking around the room, Itachi found the pillowcase on the floor and nudged it to the side with his foot. Beneath the case he found a black wallet that appeared to have been picked through. There was no I.D., money, papers or anything. As he went to set it back down, a faint green color in the wallet caught his eye and he tugged at it.

The library card stuck a little but finally gave way. In horribly faded letters, Itachi could just make out the name Suigetsu Hozuki. Eyes widening, Itachi scribbled the name down in his casebook and continued searching the room. Under the bed he found a dirty sock and a couple worn shirts, one seemingly for a small male and the other definitely female. Further under, he found a skimpy pair of underwear and a pair of silver heels. In his notebook Itachi noted how he thought this room belonged to Ms. Haruno.

The bathroom next door had amenities for both male and female occupants. A blue towel and a red towel with white trim hung on the shower door, both nicely draped over the silver bar. Next to the sink two toothbrushes, a bottle of hair spray, two bottle of hair gel, a black comb and a round hairbrush lay neatly arranged on the counter. The medicine cabinet had a bottle of Ibuprofen, a prescription bottle filled with an antibiotic and a box of band-aids.

Tired from the search of the house, Itachi finally reached the last bedroom and stepped inside. The strong smell of nice cologne filled his nostrils as soon as he entered the room. The bed lay tucked in a corner, it's blue bedspread neatly tucked around all edges. As the Uchiha stepped forward, he noticed a thick layer of dust on the bedspread and everything else in the room. A few cobwebs streamed across the walls and the light coming in from the window reflected off of the particles in the air. It was obvious this room hadn't been in use for a long time. Stifling a yawn, the detective opened a drawer on the dresser and found nothing inside. Itachi pushed the drawer back in and to his surprise, it wouldn't shut. After a couple more tries, he pulled the drawer completely out and reached inside to fish out whatever was blocking it.

Itachi's hand fell upon a piece of clothing and he pulled it out, dropping it on the floor before shutting the drawer. Just as it was halfway in he stopped. The lump on the floor had an insignia on the back that caught Itachi's attention out of the corner of his eye. The Uchiha picked it up and stared dumbfounded at the jacket in his hands. It was like any other jacket a person would wear day in and day out, except for the Uchiha family crest on the back. Except for the fact this had once belonged to Sasuke. He threw the cloth back down and started ripping drawers out of the dresser, one after another until each empty box lay in a mangled heap on the floor. The detective was not going to give up easily. He checked the bottom of everything in the room, the drawers, the bed, the window, over the fan. Nothing. He tore open the closet door and shined his light on the inside. In the corner, a picture lay face down, its frame cracked and bent like it had been thrown in and forgotten. With trembling fingers, Itachi picked it up and turned it over.

The picture had four people in it, all people Itachi knew quite well. At the top was Kakashi Hatake, a senior officer at the Konoha Police department; below him to the left was Haruno Sakura. His eyes widened in sudden comprehension. This house, everything in it, that woman . . . That was Sakura. He looked back at the photo and scowled, next to Sakura was Naruto Uzumaki, the man who had almost gone insane after Sasuke's disappearance. Last person, Itachi chocked a little and a tear fell down his cheek, the pensive face of Sasuke Uchiha stared back at him, his unblinking eyes condemning Itachi as to say _'You still haven't found me, have you?'_

He pulled the picture out of the frame and looked around before folding it up and tucking it into the pages of his notebook. Looking around the room, he heaved a sigh and began replacing all of the drawers he had just ripped out of the dresser. Closing his eyes briefly, Itachi resisted the urge to call Naruto and Shisui about the find, opting to tell them later on.

With the inspection of the inside of the house complete, Itachi left the house, not bothering to say goodbye to Inuzuka and Aburame before getting in his car and driving back to the office. As he looked around, the Uchiha suddenly smiled to himself as he unconsciously patted the notebook in his jacket. Today had been unseasonably warm after all.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading the first chapter of Broken Mirrors. Please be on the lookout for my next chapter and any new stories I hope to post in the future. As everything is right now, I hope to post every Sunday sometime between 12pm and 6pm Central time. <strong>

**Please don't forget to review and follow!**

**-Wolfe**


	2. More Questions

**Thanks for all of the support you have given me with my first chapter. It really makes me happy when I wake up to an inbox of followers and favorites. I hope to keep all of you reading and with any luck, I can also get you to read my newest story in the works Death and Reunion, a Sasuke-Naruto story taking place before and during the 4th Great Ninja War. I'm keeping the details of the story a surprise because I don't want to spoil anything. The story will consist of smaller chapters posted more frequently than those of Broken Mirrors, I expect the first chapter to be posted sometime around Saturday, most likely late Friday night. **

**While I would really appreciate some views, I won't be THAT author that withholds new posts to get them. That being said, reviews really remind me that people want me to continue writing and strengthen my resolve to post consistently.**

**In response to one review stating Itachi seems a little ooc, I'm basing his character off of the nice older brother in Sasuke's memories of the past, before the Uchiha clan disputes corrupted his good nature. With only the disappearance of his brother as a catalyst of change, Itachi is a more personable character, but still has the sinister feel about him. I don't want to expand any more upon that so I don't spoil anything to come. I just wanted to give people and idea of where the template for Itachi came from. **

**With all of that being said, I hope you enjoy the next chapter of Broken Mirrors.**

**-Wolfe**

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><p><strong>Interrogation <strong>

The soft sound of tires on pavement gently lulled Itachi into a semi-hypnotic state as he drove from Oak Avenue back to the police station down town. Investigation the house had chewed up the majority of his day, and all that really needed done was filling out the police report and making a new file. It was about one in the afternoon, the drive was taking longer than it did initially because of the long lines of lunch traffic blocking every intersection close to food establishments. The Uchiha didn't seem to mind, his thoughts wandered aimlessly from one idea to another, most of them centering on how he was going to bring up the new lead with Shisui and Naruto.

The last time a "new lead" came up, Itachi wasted no time in including the two of them, but when the trail went south and seemingly implicated people at the precinct, everyone had stepped back and refused to investigate any further. Itachi hadn't really paid much heed, thinking some of the sources were screwy in the head: that is until papers went missing from the file he kept on his desk. He was sure there was a dirty cop in the force, maybe even a small group, but he had no proof of who it was other than a couple missing papers.

This thought made the man sigh as he parked on the curb in front of the station. The sun reflected in bright, opalescent, spheres off of the windows and doors into the building. On the sidewalk, hundreds of people hurried about their business, some with shopping-bag loaded arms, others with strollers or briefcases, pets, cellphones, or some motley there of. As Itachi exited his vehicle, he had to worm his way through a throng of squealing girls dressed in One Direction shirts, chaperoned by a bored looking father carrying a screaming toddler on his shoulders. The Uchiha was very glad to be enter the building, the obnoxious screeching silenced as the thick doors closed with a small _thud._

Footsteps echoed down the hallway as another officer made his way towards Itachi, his black boots thumping on the floor in a rhythmic pattern that grew louder and louder until the man passed Itachi, the footsteps receding into silence. The Uchiha always felt at peace walking down the hallway when no one else was; it was one of his few simple pleasures. The same could not be said about the main office where his desk resided; the place was chaos and Itachi hated it with a passion.

The room buzzed with chatter of all manners; someone got a new dog, the printer wasn't working, a suspect was apprehended, Genma wanted to date Anko, and on and on and on. Itachi could feel a migraine building between his brows the second the flow of babble crashed over his head and threw him under the raging torrent of words and conversation. With a deep sigh of resignation, the Uchiha paced towards his desk and plopped heavily into his char. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out an orange prescription bottle marked _Imitrex _and quickly unscrewed the top before measuring out two small pills and throwing them back. While the Uchiha wasn't very fond of Triptans, the medication did wonders in stilling his blinding headaches.

Before Sasuke's disappearance, Itachi had never had a problem with migraines. When his brother didn't come home after school one day and none of his friends had seen him either, that's when the first one hit. The small words read in dimly light after long hours of arduous searching gave him more. The constant interviews in seedy houses with less than reputable people and their less than reputable habits gave him more. The late nights with little to no sleep followed by early mornings gave him more. Three months after Sasuke never came home, Itachi had been diagnosed with cluster migrainjes.

"Itachi!"

An estatic blur suddenly bounded up to the Uchiha and started jabbering quickly, his loud, obnoxious words sending lances of pain through Itachi's already throbbing head. The detective scrunched his eyes a little and then looked at Tobi laconically.

"So did ya go there? Didyadidyadidya?" The hyper intern was physically jumping up and down in his spot as he addressed the Uchiha. "I heard the girl there was in bad shape. Was she dead? Was she bleeding? Did you touch her? Ooooohhhhh! Lemme touch the hand you touched her with!"

"Tobi! Shut the fuck up!" Itachi roared at the intern.

"I apologize. Orochimaru would like to see you in his office. He gave me no details as to why."

The young man gave a sly smile before walking away, leading Itachi to believe he knew more than he was telling. With an inward groan, the Uchiha pulled himself up from his comfy chair. The chatter in the office hadn't died down yet, a good sign as far as he was concerned.

Orochimaru's office was located on the back wall of the precinct, allowing him a good view of all the officers as they came and went from various assignments. Most days he preferred to stay cooped up in the little room, sometime stroking his huge white snake he insisted on keeping in the office; other days he would stroll around the room, breathing down the necks of every officer while they struggled not to mess up under his scrutiny. The dark haired man was known for firing officers on the spot for filing something wrong, or taking too long of a break. Rarely did he call anyone into his office, and seldom were the calls of a good nature.

The door opened the second Itachi drew near. Orochimaru's assistant Kabuto smiled broadly and gestured to a seat in front the Chief's desk. While Orochimaru was considered the worst Police Chief in the history of the precinct, he did manage to keep an interesting office. The desk itself was made of beautifully carved mahogany with a large, protective glass top. Behind the desk was another desk made of the same beautiful red-stained wood; this one had a arched shelf bearing numerous book on law, medicine, history, and one on snakes. In the center of this shelf was his computer, a state issue Dell with its cpu mounted on the back. To the left of the desk set up, yet another shelf with red drawers and intricately carved handles that upon close inspection proved to be snakes. On top of that was the tank used to hold Orochimaru's pet snake Manda. Tucked in the corner was a silk plant. On the floor ran a huge, hand-woven rug with a knotted snake biting its tail braided into the center.

"I see you're admiring my rug again." The sensuous voice of Orochimaru wafted through the air, a smooth silky tone that reminded Itachi eerily of the phrase 'a velvet tongue oft hides poisonous fangs'. "I bargained with a man many years back, he seemed loath to let the piece go, but-" The man stopped and smiled broadly, a dark glint in his eye. "I can be a strong voice of persuasion when I wish."

Itachi's skin crawled as the snake-lover spoke, the fluid words falling on him like an unwanted advance.

"I hear your investigation into Ms. Haruno's attack went well today." Orochimaru signaled for Kabuto and pointed to his cup. The container was swiftly removed and Kabuto left the office. "You are a very good investigator, shame you haven't been able to find your brother yet." Kabuto returned with a cup filled with steaming liquid and once again exited the room. Orochimaru picked the cup up and took a long sip before continuing. "This Wednesday we are holding a meeting for officer advancement and I decided maybe you were ready for a promotion."

Inhaling sharply, Itachi looked up into Orochimaru's cold eyes and stared deeply into them for a moment. "This is rather unexpected, Sir. I am honored that you have considered me."

"There is one problem though." The chief licked his bottom lip before taking another sip out of his cup. "This little _obsession_ you have may complicate things. Many officers believe your ability to lead them would be compromised because of the situation with your brother." He paused to let his words sink in. "I believe if you were to close the case in a manner that suggested to _everyone_ that you had closed it, the position would be yours without a doubt." He took another long sip out of his cup and looked at Itachi.

Biting back bitter words, Itachi merely nodded his agreement. Then, choosing his words carefully, he responded. "I see where your concern lies Sir. I will take your words into serious consideration and I will decide the best course to follow."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, but smiled nevertheless. "I believe you will make the right decision given time."

Itachi started to move, but a final sentence stopped him for a moment longer.

"Be careful what you investigate, you never know _what _you're going to find."

The Uchiha took this as his cue to leave. An unsettling shiver ran up his spine, the hair on his neck prickling ever so slightly. The words had been ominous, but to what extent?

* * *

><p>Itachi knocked quietly on the hospital door, and was met with a disgruntled nurse who rolled her eyes and ushered the man in.<p>

"You got ten minutes to find out what you need before I put the young lady back to sleep. If you aggravate her you got me to deal with." The heavy set, black woman bustled out of the room quickly, leaving Itachi alone with his witness.

The young woman on the bed looked much better than she had a couple days ago when Itachi first found her. The bruises running up and down her arms had mostly faded to a yellowish color, leaving only a sick impression of what had been there earlier. The color had returned to her face, making white out of once colorless skin. The pink of her hair stood boldly out against everything, fanning across her pillow and framing what could almost be described as an innocent face. An innocent face with piercing emerald eyes dripping with contempt and an edge of . . . fear?

"Ms. Haruno, I am Uchiha Itachi and I've been assigned your case. If you would, I have a few questions to ask you." Itachi pulled out his police notebook and flipped to a clean page before taking the empty seat next to the young lady.

The woman spoke in a soft whisper, her voice barely audible over the chirping of her monitors and the constant hum of the machinery around her. "Fuck off _Uchiha. _You don't know what you're getting into." Her eyes narrowed at him, daring him to start the questioning.

"I just want to find out what happened. I'll start with easy things and work my way from there." Itachi had dealt with many feisty witnesses before so he drew upon that knowledge to gently coax answers out of the young woman before him. "How long have you lived at 1501 Oak Plaza?"

She rolled her eyes and settled with a laconic glare. "Seriously?" Even with her voice barely audible, the dripping sarcasm bled through her words, taking the Uchiha back a little bit. "Since I was born. My parents left it to me when they died."

Itachi nodded knowingly. His brother had been in school with the young girl when her parents died in a car crash, leaving her a large house and an equally large sum of money. "I noticed five beds in your house when I searched for clues, but only two of them seem to be in use. Other than you, who was staying in your house?"

The resistance this time was greater, a thick silence sticking in the air. "Just . . . just my boyfriend." Sakura mumbled. "He's cool. Just . . . I don't know . . ." She sighed and looked at him. "Do you really have to question me?"

"Unfortunately I do." Itachi riffled through his notebook and found the name he was looking for. "Is your boyfriend's name Suigetsu Hozuki?" He peered over his notes and looked at the young woman, gauging by the sudden stiffening of her features and the tight set of her lips, he was right.

"No. I've never heard that name." She quickly stammered out an answer and averted her eyes.

Itachi reached into his bag and pulled out a smaller, plastic bag with a library card on the inside. Unrolling it, he shook it out and held it out for the woman to see. "This was recovered from an upstairs bedroom in a wallet. Are you sure you don't know Mr. Hozuki?"

The woman managed a growl and huffed. "Fine. Fine. I know him. He's my boyfriend. Just . . . Please. I don't know who can hear this conversation. I don't want _Him_ to find out."

The Uchiha looked at her sharply. "Who's _Him_?" Looking at the way she stiffened once again, he knew he wasn't going to get an answer. Itachi quickly wrote the exchange down and made a note of the woman's silence in regards to the question. "Okay then. How about who stabbed you. Was it Mr. Hozuki who stabbed you?" Silence again. With a sigh, Itachi closed his notebook and tucked it back into his jacket. "You're not going to be helpful are you?"

Sakura looked at him again. "I already told you, I don't know who is listening. If _He_ finds out I was talking to the police he'll kill me." The fearful edge in her voice did not go unheard. "I don't want to talk about what happened. I fell and I stabbed myself. That's all I'm going to say." She pursed her lips and glared at the Uchiha, but he could see the hidden fear in her eyes.

Itachi looked at the girl and shook his head. "You know what? I understand not wanting to talk. If you need anything, or just want to talk, here's my card." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a business card with his name and office number on the front. "I'll even leave my cell number on the back if you don't want to call the office number." He quickly wrote out his number on the back and set it on the table next to Sakura.

"I don't want it." She scowled at him and tried to move, but the IV's and monitors kept her tethered to the bed. "Just take the stupid thing away and leave me alone!" She thrashed he legs violently, but Itachi remained unfazed.

"Fine. But first, I have something else I want to ask you about. He pulled out his other journal and flipped through the pages until the picture he had stashed inside came into view. With careful fingers, he pulled it out and turned it around to show the young woman. "What do you know about the young man right here." He pointed to the scowling face of Sasuke. It's obvious you know him because you're in this picture."

"Oh god." The girl shook her head and moaned a low unsettling note of fear. "No. No. Just forget about him. I don't know anything about him." Her breathing quickened a little as panic started to set in.

Itachi knew he had found a lead and pursued it. "Tell me what you know!" The Uchiha leaned forward hoping to catch event he faintest answer. "I need to know anything you can tell me about this young man."

The pink haired girl looked at him with the same horrible, fear-filled eyes and bit her lip. "We dated. About three years ago. Then he . . ." She stopped and looked Itachi in the eye, begging for some kind of reprieve, but the the steely cold stare that met her forced her to continue. "We dated . . . but . . . He . . . He got mixed up with the wrong guys and . . . we broke up. He just left one day . . ." Sakura's breathing had quickened almost to the point of hyperventilation and she was struggling for air.

"Where did he go!" The monitors in the room started beeping wildly and a throng of nurses ran towards the door, grabbing Itachi out of his seat, making him almost miss her last words.

"Sasuke went to work for . . _.Him"_

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys, thanks for reading the second installment of Broken Mirrors. I hope you enjoyed it. <strong>

**For all of you who are interested, I have posted some useful links on my page to show you things like the layout of Sakura's house and Orochimaru's desk, etc. **

**Please don't forget to favorite and review!**

**-Wolfe**


	3. Into the Night

**I apologize for the long wait and the delay in updating my chapter. These last few weeks have been gearing up towards finals and I have had many, many essays to write. That being said, I will be trying to post 2 or three times a week when Christmas break begins. I will still only update Broken Mirrors once weekly, but I will also have my new stories going as well. I intend on posting longer chapters with more detail in Broken Mirrors now that I have gotten the primary exposition out of the way. **

**I encourage you to read my new stories soon to come called Pass or Fail, and Death and Reunion. Pass or Fail is about Naruto, Sasuke, and Konohamaru taking the Chunin exams to finally rank up after the 4th Great Shinobi War. Death and Reunion is a Naruto Sasuke story that takes place shortly before the 4th Great Shinobi War, where the two ninja's minds are telepathically linked after the collision of two jutsu. I have one more story in the works, but that one will be a suprise!**

**Now that I've made the announcements, here is the third chapter of Broken Mirrors. **

**-Wolfe**

* * *

><p><strong>Into the Night<strong>

The welcome darkness of Itachi's apartment greeted him as he pushed his front door open and stepped into the aching abyss within. The place was a nice distance from the office, but not so far out of the way as to make morning commutes an ungodly chore. In fact, the apartment lay in a small suburb outside of Konoha called West Ridge, roughly twenty minutes from the bustling metropolis of the Fire Country's capitol. The community consisted of about four thousand people in an 8 mile radius, most in apartments like his, high rise structures towering fifteen to twenty floors above the street. There were seven such apartment complexes dotting the West Ridge area of Konoha, each housing upwards of 300 people, but not uncomfortably seeing as most buildings had enough room to comfortably fit a family of five or seven. There was also a pizza joint, two convenient stores, a grocer, an all level school and a small park complete with a public pool. A scattering of residential homes dotted the area, and some privately owned businesses made up a decent square.

Itachi's apartment was a long shot from the mansion his parents once owned in the Uchiha district of Konoha, but after his brother's disappearance, the older Uchiha couldn't bear having ghosts of the past haunt him day and night. The apartment he bought across town was a much smaller three bedroom house with a nice kitchen and decent sized living room; a drastic downsize from the 15 bedroom mansion he grew up in; but a more comfortable size for the single Uchiha.

The raven-haired man hung his keys behind the door before turning and bolting the three locks on his front door. The manager had given Itachi a strange look after receiving the request for two more locks, but the gentle woman smiled and acquiesced, she had humored stranger requests. Itachi reached to the left, his hand finding the lamp out of habit and flicking the switch to bathe the room in a soft orange light. Wincing slightly as the lamp lit, he bent the lampshade towards the wall, dimming the room just enough to ease the painful throbbing in his head.

With one thing in mind, the man entered the kitchen and opened his cabinet, pulling the white bottle of aged sake from the top right corner and setting it on the cabinet next to him. Next he pulled a red pan from the wall mount above the stove and filled it half full of water and placed it on the stove, lighting the fire beneath it before placing the bottle into the center of pan to heat. He then pulled a loaf of bread out of another cabinet and placed two slices into the toaster. The fire under his water popped, breaking the silence in the kitchen for a brief moment, but Itachi did not seem to mind. With hands trained in habit, the Uchiha reached into the fridge and pulled three eggs from the door and set them on the cabinet next to a mixing bowel and some vegetables. Within a few minutes, he had chopped everything into small pieces and mixed the vegetables and eggs into an omelet base that he poured into another pan on the stove and let cook. He pulled an oven mitt from a drawer below the cabinet and and pulled the hot bottle of sake out of the boiling water, setting it on the cabinet while he reached into the cupboard to retrieve a mug and saucer. That done, the placed the two items down, walked over and flipped his omelet and then returned to pour a cup of steaming sake into his mug. He returned to the stove, turned the fire off and carefully slid his food onto the saucer.

With a contented sigh, Itachi walked to the table and placed his food down before sitting down himself. In the last three years, few evenings had been anything more than this. With a pained smile, Itachi looked at the empty chair across from him and blinked away a tear.

"It's been a long time since I had a good lead on you Sasuke. You hid yourself very well, but I'm getting closer." A tear managed to slip down his face and splash onto the hand holding his sake. "You know? I have so many things to tell you when you return, brother." The first tear was joined by a second that slipped down his face and clung to his chin before disappearing into nothing but a ripple in his sake. "N-Naruto really misses you. He . . . He made it through the academy to become an officer. H-he really admires you S-S-Sasuke." Tears were streaming freely down the Uchiha's face as he addressed the empty chair across from him. "I-I guess you want to eat right? Y-you don't w-want to be d-distract-ed by . . . by me wh-while you eat." He gasped the last few words out before blinking away the tears flowing down his face and forcing a smile.

Itachi picked his fork up and poked despondently at his eggs before pulling a piece off and eating it. He chewed a couple times and swallowed the mouthful with a sip of sake. He continued this until everything but two bites remained on his plate and nothing in his cup. The headache had subsided to nothing but a dull throb by this time. For a brief second, Itachi could do nothing but sit and stare at his plate before standing and walking the cup and saucer to the sink. He dropped the last two bites of egg into the trash and then ran water into the bottom of this sink. He quickly washed his supper dishes, dried them and placed them back into the cabinets they belonged.

With a deep sigh, Itachi walked into the living room, to the hallway, and into his office where his computer lay in sleep mode. Shaking his mouse, the screen turned blue and then opened into a login screen. He quickly typed his password and closed his eyes as the screen turned bright white and then dulled into his main background. The picture featured Sasuke when he was eleven years old, smiling broadly while wrapping his arms around Itachi's neck. The picture had been taken shortly after Sasuke hurt his ankle, forcing Itachi to carry him back to the main house. When Itachi was moving, he had uncovered the picture buried in a box of his parents things. He scanned it onto his desktop, hoping someday to bring back the smiling face of his brother.

In a couple clicks the Uchiha had a web browser open and he paused, his fingers hovering over the keys while he figured what he wanted to do. With time honed speed, Itachi quickly keyed in '_ ' _ and quickly hit enter. After a second the screen turned white and opened to a paged filled with pictures of people. A pop up from Lastpass opened, prompting the Uchiha to enter his password so he could navigate websites easily without having to log into each of them. After typing his password the dialogue box disappeared and left him on a profile page. His message and notification box were empty. Itachi typed in _" " _and waited for the site to load. Lastpass automatically logged him in and took him to his profile page. It too had no new notifications. Five sites and no hits later Itachi buried his face in his hands and drug his fingers through his hair in exasperation.

_Knock Knock._

Itachi barely heard the knock on his front door. He sighed again and hoped the visitor would go away.

_Knock Knock Knock._

The Uchiha grit his teeth and pushed his chair back, standing in a huff. The knocking had stopped, but Itachi knew the visitor on the other side of the door was still there. Schooling his features, he crossed the living room and and peered through the eye-hole on his door. The Uchiha suddenly relaxed and closed his eyes before smiling and pulling the locks, each sliding back with a dull _click_. The dark haired figure behind the door had his hand raised to knock another time, but Itachi stopped him.

"Shisui. What brings you this way?"

Lowering his hand and stepping into the door, the older Uchiha looked around the room and shook his head. "You haven't changed anything since the last time I came over. I bet if I look in the kitchen I'll find two pieces of toast that you made still in the toaster from earlier." He smiled, but Itachi could sense something more.

"You're right. I always eat my toast first thing in the morning." Itachi motioned to the couch across from the door "Take a seat. I'm sure you're not here to discuss my eating schedule."

The older Uchiha sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before looking Itachi in the eye. "I think there is something shady going on at the precinct. I . . . I dunno." The normally somber man plopped onto the couch and grimaced as the events of the day played through his head. "I don't know if you've heard, but my team has been investigating the recent murder of three women from the upper ward."

Itachi nodded knowingly, vaguely recalling the pin room with pictures of corpses and bulletins tying newspaper articles, pictures, and maps together. At one point the case was the only thing the office could discuss, but it had slowly fallen to the wayside and the room was cleared for other more recent cases. "I remember that, with the two strippers and that one guy's granddaughter?"

"_That one guy _is none other than En No Gyoja Tsuchigumo, one of the most powerful men in the country. Not only that, but his granddaughter, Hotaru was kidnapped _from his estate._" Shisui looked off for a second and then back at Itachi. "The point is, the four of us had highly confidential paperwork in our possession and pieces of it suddenly disappeared. If that isn't weird enough, the pieces that we can't find all relate to this underground pimp that we haven't identified yet. All we knew was in the stolen files."

"You know . . ." Itachi scowled for a second trying to remember exactly which of his case files had gone missing. "I had some pages go missing when we had that last hot lead on Sasuke back in January. Come to think of it, there might have been some stuff in there about a pimp. You know the case started getting into some rough neighborhoods as we continued investigating."

Shisui nodded. "It's strange. After thinking about it, I think we have a dirty cop trying to cover that he's neck deep in shit he shouldn't be in."

Silence filled the sudden gap in their conversation and for a few minutes nothing but the sound of the ac shutting off could be heard. Itachi sighed and started to speak but Shisui cut him off.

"I know what happened on scene a couple days ago. And what happened in the hospital." The older Uchiha spoke quietly, but with a sense of authority. "Orochimaru called me into his office and asked me to talk to you."

Itachi visibly flinched. The deadpan in Shisui's voice was not uncharacteristic, but Itachi could tell this was more than just his normal speech. "I-"

"I know you haven't given up on Sasuke . . . Part of me still wants to search for him ." Shisui leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and resting his face on his chin. "Itachi, this has to stop. Sasuke has been gone for three years and no one has had a single concrete piece of evidence regarding his whereabouts." He looked into Itachi's eyes and then closed his own. "What did you even accomplish antagonizing that woman?

"I got a lead." Itachi barely whispered the words.

"Fucking shit Itachi! _I got a lead_. Is that all you can say after the scene you caused at the hospital? We're damn well lucky that the girl didn't have heart-attack and die _on you're watch!_ Where would you be then? In prison? Badgeless? Hell, you're lucky you didn't get suspended for that!" Shisui rarely ever lost his calm, but the fury and indignation in his face caused a cold pit to form in the bottom of Itachi's stomach.

The detective could feel his own anger rising as his cousin's words rained down mercilessly. For a brief moment Itachi actually felt like punching the man next to him. All the pent up anguish he had buried over the years had begun welling to the surface, his face spasming between looks of homicidal rage and forlorn misery. Without any warning he stood up, gritting his teeth and walking towards the kitchen.

Shisui merely sat in place. Years of friendship with the younger Uchiha had taught him that to truly communicate he had to rile Itachi up and then let him cool down. The suddenly slamming of cabinets in the kitchen caused the man to flinch ever so slightly, but he remained seated. Finally after a few minutes Itachi returned with two cups of warm sake, offering one to Shisui who willingly accepted.

The two men sat in silence sipping from their cups, both settling their minds for the discussion to come. Itachi finished his drink first, setting the cup down with a small _clink _and looking impassively into Shisui's eyes. The other merely continued sipping from his cup, not breaking the stare. Itachi sighed.

"I don't know what to do Shisui. The hardest part is _not knowing_. Part of me just . . ." He broke of and looked down. "Part of me wishes I could just find a body and move on."

The darkness hovering of Itachi was not unnoticed and Shisui wisely kept quiet, allowing the younger man to open the puss-filled wound of his misery.

"God DAMMIT!" Tears were flowing unchecked down Itachi's face as the horrors of his brother's disappearance filled him with grief. "I have NO ONE! Sasuke is all I have left! I can't just give up on him. He looked up to me, idolized me! What kind of brother would I be if I didn't try to find the truth?"

The older Uchiha looked up and was stunned to see the shell of a man left before him. It was as if he were looking at a ghost of his friend. The dark, bloodshot eyes now streaming tears rested above horribly pronounced tear troughs that left the impression he hadn't slept in months. His face was gaunt with a semi-malnourished jaundice creeping across his sunken cheeks. Looking closer, he could see the man had lost all ounce of unneeded body mass, leaving a whip-cord frame of muscle and bone. For the first time in his life, Shisui did not know what to do.

"Itachi . . ." He reached out to touch the crying man, but stopped just short of touching him and drew his hand back. "I know it's hard . . . but you have to think of yourself. Maybe . . . Maybe you should just let go of the case. Maybe take some time off and pull yourself back together. I'm sure Orochi-"

"Fuck Orochimaru!" Itachi spat vehemently. "He doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself. For all we know _he's_ the fucking dirty cop and we're just facilitating his horrible agenda!" The detective heaved a deep sigh and narrowed his eyes at Shisui. "That snake offered you something didn't he?"

Nothing got past Itachi. "He didn't offer something for me. Orochimaru said he'd promote you on the spot if you closed Sasukes case. He says it's just distract the precincts best mind from our hardest cases. Honestly, I just miss having you around."

Itachi's features softened and he looked at the man across from him. "I'm sorry for my outburst. I know you just want to help." He paused for a second and suddenly stood up before walking to the rack behind the door. For a brief moment he seemed torn between two things pausing before reaching into the pocket of his jacket and throwing something at Shisui. "Look in the front cover. _That's_ what I found at the scene."

Shisui grimaced, knowing he had failed to reach the younger man once again. With a single move he had the book open and stood staring gape-mouthed at the item before him. "Oh God."

"The girl there, Sakura seemed to know him well. Said he had stayed with her before he went missing., I found one of his jackets in the back. You know, that blue one with the family crest? Yeah, it was that one. Not only that, but she mentioned some man that Sasuke went to work for." He rolled his eyes and grit his teeth. "They shooed me out before I could ask anything else."

The older Uchiha gaped for a second before speaking. "I didn't realize you actually had a strong lead . . ." The man had assumed an unnaturally sheepish demeanor and couldn't only reprimand himself for doubting Itachi.

"I want to keep it quiet right now, I don't know who's screwing shit up in the office and I can't afford to lose this lead." Itachi sobered quickly before grabbing his and Shisui's glass and walking them to the kitchen.

Understanding the gravity, Shisui suddenly called into the kitchen in attempt to lighten the mood. "You know what? You have tomorrow off right? We should hit the town, maybe find you some young blood for the night."

Itachi rounded the corner and thought quietly to himself. After a minute he nodded. "Yeah, I think some time out will do me some good."

* * *

><p>The bar was something else. Shisui had mentioned the place was upper end but nothing could prepare him for the sheer elegant beauty of the place. Katon Palace was a burlesque and bar on in the Senju district of Konoha. The inside was bathed in an orange glow from three huge chandeliers hanging across the room, two small ones at the entrance and far end and an enormous, crystal chandelier with various shades of red, orange and yellow casting fiery looking beams on all of the walls. The tables were all in the shape of candle flames, each spread from the center stage in such a manner as to suggest a fire ball.<p>

The dancers wore surprisingly tasteful outfits in the same colors of the chandelier. Some were in bright yellow garments that hung asymmetrically off on arm and and tapered to a point across their left thigh. Others wore a flashy orange outfits mirroring the first and others yet wore bright red dresses in both styles. As the women ran around the room they created a sense of moving fire, their flame colored costumes flashing in and around each other to form a beautiful vibrant dance of wildfire.

"Let's get a table towards the front" Shisui whispered "The show here is amazing."

The older man led Itachi through the maze of candle tables and dancing women to a table right in front of the stage. Before Itachi could say anything, Shisui waved a young woman over, an yellow tongue of flame with flowing blonde hair, and asked her for two house specials. The woman smiled cheekily before fluttering away to the bar.

"You didn't have to buy my drink." Itachi groaned. "I'm a full grown man, I can order my own drink."

"Shut it Itachi. You've never been here. _I'll_ be the voice of experience." Shisui looked and him and laughed. "I couldn't bear to let you dip your beak into the wrong nectar little cousin."

Itachi mock glared at the older man "Says the man who got so drunk he almost took a dude home."

"Hey! He made a pretty girl . . ." Shisui smiled, recalling his close encounter with a long haired beauty, who's soft spoken voice had gotten under his skin and into his loins. The night was going perfect until her erection pressed against his leg in a particularly heated encounter behind the bar.

The pretty waitress reappeared holding two wonderful looking drinks that looked like a burning fire with the bottom made of a yellowish color forking into tongues, an orange color and then a red color that ended in flames protruding out of the cup. She set the cups down and winked at the two men.

"Enjoy the show." She smiled and walked a few steps before turning to look over her shoulder. "If you need _anything_ just call me over." She licked her lips and sashayed away.

Itachi felt an elbow in his ribs as Shisui pointed a jib at him. "Hey, looks like we already have our catch of the night. She looks like a fun tumble."

The younger Uchiha made a non-committal sound and looked down at his drink. Trusting Shisui's judgment he gingerly tested the protruding flame on top and found to his surprise it was whipped cream. With a bit more enthusiasm he took a drink of the multicolored liquid. It was faintly sweet and fruity. Itachi didn't taste any alcohol and was fairly surprised and mildly irritated at his cousin.

"The hell is this? This -"

"It's stronger than you think Itachi, you just can't taste it." Shisui smiled slyly and looked towards the stage. "The performance is about to begin."

Sure enough, the girls all ran out of the room and the lights suddenly went out. All around, the tables glowed a soft blue and the chandeliers had suddenly changed to a collage of blues, yellows and purples. All around people stopped talking and stared at the stage. Fog had started creeping across the floor and the speakers began to hum.

"Ladies and Gentleman please turn your eyes to the front stage as our lovely Tongues of Fire take the stage. Tonight our beautiful dancers have prepared a wonderful treat for all of you. We will take you down memory lane with some of your favorite songs. Without further ado, the Tongues of Fire!"

The crowd cheered rowdily as eight women dressed in blue and purple variations of the outfits from earlier took stage. The lights went down and suddenly the stage came to life. The speakers crackled faintly before a slow rhythmic beat poured through. The song seemed familiar enough but Itachi couldn't quite place the melody until the spotlight fell on the blond woman from earlier. As she strode across the stage, the other eight dancers swayed behind her in a hypnotizing dance. She opened her mouth and sang, her husky voice bringing life to an old classic:

"_Love is a burning thing  
>And it makes a fiery ring.<br>Bound by wild desire  
>I fell into a ring of fire."<em>

The group of women stopped moving and suddenly ripped off their blue and purple garb, revealing the true flame colors beneath. Creating a ring around the blonde, the reds and oranges ran in opposite circles, literally making a ring of fire.

"_I fell into a burning ring of fire,  
>I went down, down, down as the flames went higher<br>And it burns, burns, burns,  
>The ring of fire, the ring of fire."<em>

Another young lady dressed in blue flames ran onto the stage and pulled the blonde from the circle, sliding against her sensuously.

"_The taste of love is sweet  
>When hearts like ours meet"<em>

The blue flame shoved the blonde back into the spinning flame circle and five more blue flames came out to completely encircle the group. Jumping and spinning, running in circles, the hypnotizing dance of fire making the song come to life so much more.

"_I fell for you like a child,  
>Oh, but the fire went wild."<em>

The group flew apart before coming back together, sitting, kneeling and standing as they swayed back and forth.

"_I fell into a burning ring of fire,  
>I went down, down, down as the flames went higher<br>And it burns, burns, burns,  
>The ring of fire, the ring of fire."<em>

The blonde escaped the fire and ran around the swaying mass like a pagan in a sweet ritual. Her top had come slightly undone and was threatening to fall, her bottoms barely keeping everything covered.

"_I fell into a burning ring of fire,  
>I went down, down, down as the flames went higher<br>And it burns, burns, burns,  
>The ring of fire, the ring of fire."<em>

The fire broke apart and grabbed the young woman pulling her into the center and shredding her clothes. Pieces of the garment flew across the stage, but no one could see the naked woman for all the flames moving around her.

"_And it burns, burns, burns,  
>The ring of fire, the ring of fire,<br>The ring of fire, the ring of fire"_

As the blonde hit the final ringing note of the song, the flames hoisted her above them, spinning the nude woman around. Most brilliantly however, not a single thing was indecently exposed, while the woman was indeed completely without clothes, the position of everyone's hands as they held her kept her decent. It was incredibly erotic, or so the now enthralled Itachi thought.

The lights went up as the dancers exited the stage, still artfully covering the nude singer. Itachi went to take another sip of his drink and realized to his moderate surprise, he had already managed to down the entire thing during the performance. Looking at Shisui, he felt relieved when his cousin had also finished the fruity drink.

"That was amazing Shisui! How did you find this place?"

The other Uchiha looked at him and smirked. "When you get out and actually enjoy life, you find cool things. Like this."

Suddenly the room erupted into applause as the flames returned off the stage. Men whooped and hollered at the women, trying to coax them over for a new drink, or sometimes a grope. The women either didn't seem to mind, or when the did, they threw the offending man a dirty look and a warning.

"Do you two need another drink?" The blonde waitress had returned, wearing what appeared to be a back up uniform and the same sultry smile as earlier.

As Itachi went to respond Shisui clamped a hand over his mouth. "Yes, two more house specials, and what ever you want."

The woman smiled and winked at them before running towards the bar.

"Shisui!" Itachi protested. "I really don't need any more!"

"Just relax. We're having fun and you're being a prude." He smiled and looked at the approaching waitress. "Remember that game we used to play? Where we tried to guess how tight the chick was? She's a six, I bet she gets it all the time."

Itachi shook his head, vaguely aware of the creeping effects of the alcohol on him. "Nah, I'll pass on the game." He reached out and accepted the second drink from the waitress and smiled as she sat down.

* * *

><p>The younger Uchiha was drunk. The sweet tasting drinks all blurred into a single cup that never seemed to end. The more he talked with the young blonde, the more appealing she seemed. Her toned midriff and the ample curves of her bosom pressing through the tight top of her outfit had something pressing against the tight grip of his jeans.<p>

"I thiiiiink that we shhhhhhould leaaaave" Itachi stopped for a second, grasping for the name of his cousin "Shiiiiisuiiiiiiiii. Haha your name ssssounds like Shiiit . . . Shit-zu."

"Fuck youuu." Shisui seemed in no better condition than his cousin. From his sway, anyone looking at him knew he was gone.

The only one in the group that was sober was the lively blonde that had sat with them. The conversation started well enough, but the drunker the two Uchiha got, the raunchier the statement until it descended into only basely covered sexual innuendo. After that, the world went black and started occurring in short sequences.

Someone called a cab for the two no . . . three of them before sending them on their way. The blonde had to fish in their pockets to get their addresses to give to the cab driver. Shisui went home first at her bidding, leaving the drunk Itachi with her.

As Shisui got out of the cab at his apartment Itachi called out "Ssshees a ten! Tight vag all the way!"

Suddenly he was at his apartment with the blonde tugging him into the living room. Before the door was even shut, her top came off, revealing the supple breasts that had been hidden from view earlier that night. With a lusty look, the woman pushed Itachi onto the couch and straddled him at the waist before running her hands up the bottom of his shirt that had come slightly untucked earlier that evening. Her slim fingers slid the rest of the material out from under his pants hem before sliding lower to grasp him through his pants.

Itachi moaned slightly before grabbing the woman and pushing her to the floor, putting all of his weight on her. Her ivory mounds bounced ever so slightly, drawing his lustful eyes towards them. Leaning down, he took one of the sweet nipples into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the hardening nub between his teeth. His other hand pinched her free nipple and began rolling it between his fingers. Closing his eyes, he focused on pleasuring the woman beneath him, taking a sweet pleasure in the soft moans she made ever so often. With a deep sigh, the Uchiha opened his eyes and stared directly into her dark lust clouded countenance.

The woman trailed her finger back up Itachi's shirt, sliding her hands around to his back and dragging her nails ever so slightly down. The man above her shivered in pleasure, taking his mouth off of her now swollen breast and fastening it to hers. Deft fingers found themselves at the top of his shirt, unfastening the buttons as quickly as possible.

Itachi growled and pulled his shirt over his head, popping a couple buttons in the process. He hissed as the cool air hit his chest and shuddered momentarily when the warm tongue of his companion had worked its way to his neck. A sudden intuition had him push her away and shake his head.

"No maaarkss." He managed to slur.

Giggling, the girl nodded and kissed the spot she had been tending to and looked into his eyes with an innocent look before sliding her hand between them.

Itachi grabbed her and and held it above her before assaulting her mouth again, plunging his tongue into the depth and warring for dominance. With her mind distracted, he shifted enough to rub his engorged erection against the flimsy material covering her. He moaned as he gained the much needed friction between them and ground against her, enjoying the surprised squeak into his kiss as he did so.

This time it was his hand that slid between them to undo his pants. While his drunken hands fumbled with the button he rolled off of the girl beneath him to kick his shoes off and facilitate the removal of his pants. In his drunken stupor he failed to realize he also shredded his underwear, leaving him completely nude to the woman before him. With a growl, her rolled back over pinning the woman beneath him before trailing sloppy kisses down her exposed midsection to the hem of her outfit. With a naughty look, he reached up and slowly massaged the growing wet spot between her legs as her bit down on the fabric at the hem.

With a little effort he pulled the item down with his teeth, at least far enough to expose her glistening folds. With no hesitation he plunged his tongue into her, wrapping it softly around the soft mound of flesh between the sweet lips. He then proceeded to swirl his tongue around and around the soft area, causing the woman to moan and squirm under his ministrations. When it felt like she was beginning to plateau, he reached his middle finger into her core, arching just enough to catch the right spot.

"Oh . . . OH . . . OH GOD!" The woman tried to hold off her climax, but Itachi pushed just a bit harder and the woman came undone beneath him, her hips bucking as the molten pleasure ripped through her body from her core outward, blinding her in a sheer moment of bliss.

Not waiting for the woman to cool down, Itachi flipped the woman over, grabbing her hips and pushing her into a semi-kneeling position with her rounded ass upwards and her face resting cheek first on the floor.

"Do you want me?" He asked, or rather demanded huskily.

The woman murmured something unintelligible as her orgasm continued shaking her.

"_I can't hear you."_

"Yes. YES. God YES. Take me!"

With no more confirmation needed, he plunged into her, noting in his mind she was indeed a ten.

The woman moaned slightly as his tip pressed against her and screamed in pleasure as he thrust deeply inside, filling her dripping wet womanhood completely. He slid out and back in experimentally, pushing against her cervix and causing a shudder to ripple down her pale form. As he gripped her ass tightly he realized the tattoo running across her lower back read "_Yamanaka." _Itachi didn't care, he thrust into the woman again, glorified in the pleasure filled scream he ripped out of her.

He set a hardened pace, his engorged cock sliding in and out of her harder and harder, slamming into the deepest part of her until she felt like she could take no more. With her pleasure mounting, he could feel her tightening around him and quickened his pace. Leaning over her, he slid one finger back between her folds to rub the slick pearl between. Between his deep thrusts and his finger pleasuring her most sensitive spot, the woman arched her back and _screamed._

"Ahhhhh! YESSSSSS!"

Her walls constricted around Itachi and with a final thrust he felt his own release and he pulled, spilling his hot seed all over her exposed ass and back, completely covering her tramp stamp in sticky fluid. With a quaking shudder, he toppled to the side.

* * *

><p><strong>How about that? I thought you deserved something nice since I haven't posted in a while. <strong>

**Before that one guy posts about the burlesque scene; burlesque is not stripping, it singing with a raunchy, but tasteful act to go with it. **

**Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please follow and review. **

**-Wolfe**


	4. Pieces in the Dark

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for bearing with me during my undeclared hiatus for finals. Now that I am no longer cramming to make sure I have everything ready for my plethora of tests, I can update more consistently. I plan on implementing a system where I updated Broken Mirrors and To Pass or Fail one week and Broken Mirrors and Death and Reunion on other weeks, effectively alternating the three pieces in a timely manner. **

**While I'm not entirely sure when I will get this implemented, it will be soon. That being said, I hope all of you enjoy the twist-ridden plots I have devised for all of you. **

**-Wolfe**

* * *

><p><strong>Pieces in the Dark<strong>

_The forest was calm and in the cool breeze of the night only the slight rustle of trees could be heard in the deafening silence. Hanging like an ornament among the stars, the moon illuminated the surrounding area in a thick silver pool, blinding every shadow into submission. Itachi had never felt more at peace, and with a faint smile he reached out to slide his fingers over the bark of the nearest tree. In the distance something disturbed a flock of crows, sending the birds into the air, their large, dark swath cutting out a good portion of the low hanging moon. _

_Curious, Itachi pulled away his hand before taking a few steps towards the disturbance. The ground disappeared under him and suddenly as if he had traveled the entire distance, the Uchiha found himself in bird filled clearing. On every branch a black crow stared down upon him, their obsidian eyes full of cold detachment, watching, watching. The hair on Itachi's neck prickled as he felt another, human presence in the circle of trees. Without looking he called out, knowing who was behind him. _

"_Sasuke!" The older Uchiha spun around to see the receding back of his younger brother, red and white Uchiha symbol floating into the darkness of the trees. "Come back brother!" Itachi called hoarsely, "I-I need you."_

_He fell on his knees, reaching out towards the disappearing symbol. When his hand met with nothing, Itachi looked towards the ground, his tears rolling off in unchecked rivulets falling from his eyes onto . . . feet? Startled, the Uchiha looked up into a pair of emerald green eyes staring derisively down upon him. Blinking away the tears, Itachi scrambled to his feet, suddenly finding himself eye to eye with a shapely rosette. The young woman rolled her eyes before stepping back across the clearing. _

"_You Uchiha are all alike you know?" Her melodic voice wafted across the clearing, stirring something deep in the pit of his stomach. "You see a damsel in distress and can't help but put her back together. Just so you can be the one to crack her porcelain exterior." Sakura wrinkled her nose in apparent disgust before continuing. "I know what you want, but before you can find him, you must find me."_

"_I know you . . ." Itachi began, "I-"_

"_You know me?" She scoffed. "What you know is a drop in the ocean." The rosette reached into her pocket and pulled out a syringe. "Tell all the truth but tell it slant —s__uccess in circuit lies too bright for our infirm delight, the Truth's superb surprise. As lightning to the children eased with explanation kind, the Truth must dazzle gradually, or every man be blind__" _

_Without another word, the woman plunged the needle into his arm, pouring the thick, milky white liquid into his veins. _

* * *

><p>Itachi woke with a start, his foot glancing off the sofa as he spasmed into consciousness. With a groan he rolled over, his head throbbing painfully between his eyes and his stomach threatening to revolt. After a couple moments of effort he levered himself into a sitting position, attempting to piece together his predicament. To his left he saw a stream of clothing leading from the door and to his right he saw his hastily discarded shoes. Sudden realization dawned on him as he finally noticed his starkly nude form and the sticky remnants of the night before.<p>

A quick glance around told him his partner had already left before he woke up. With a heavy sigh, the Uchiha pulled himself off the floor and proceeded to gather his discarded clothing before throwing them in the bathroom hamper. Taking one look at his disheveled form the bathroom mirror, Itachi quickly decided to shower and remove the congealed semen and vaginal fluid from his body. The Uchiha was no stranger to one night stands, actually preferring them over long term relationships. The chance encounter last night had mostly been spurred by the alcohol, the Uchiha shook his head in disgust, the blonde was most definitely not his type.

With his showering done, Itachi toweled down his hair and then wrapped the material around his waist. His head was still spinning and his stomach growled with dubious intentions. A couple steps later, the raven -haired man found himself in the kitchen, pulling last nights toast from the toaster onto a plate. A quick glance at the clock told him it was just before noon, roughly five hours later than he normally got up. He shook his head and growled at himself, he hated being so irresponsible. Frustrated, he tore into the toast ravenously, sending crumbs all over his plate. As he chewed, Itachi's mind began to wander to the dream that had awoken him.

_'Kinda strange really' _He thought to himself. '_I saw that girl for maybe an hour total, but she's haunting my dreams now.'_ A pang found its way into his chest as he recalled the encounter with Sasuke. _'That woman knows more than she's telling me, I just don't know how to get her to talk.'_

Lost in his thoughts, Itachi barely had time to register the fact his phone was going off. The shrill beeping of the device was grating on his head, and the Uchiha winced painfully as he pulled it out of his jacket pocket. Turning it over in his hands, he was surprised to see it was the office number.

"Hello, this is Itachi."

_/Hey Itachi, it's Kabuto. I know this is your day off, but we have a case for you. We feel it is related to the open one regarding Ms. Haruno./_

Itachi closed his eyes and took a deep breath before rummaging in his pockets to find his notebook. "Okay, tell me what's happening."

_/We found the body of a young man in his twenties early this morning just outside of a club in the Oak Plaza district./_

The Uchiha's heart sank. _'No. No no no no! Not Sasuke. No. Please anyone but Sasuke.'_

_/The Coroners officer later identified it as Suigetzu Hozuki. The cause of death was determined to be Blunt Force Trauma to the head. The murder weapon, a fallen board from the club, was found on scene./_

Itachi's heart had yet to calm it's beating as he silently gulped in air and responded. "Okay. I'll be on scene in just a bit."

_/Okay. The address is 3890 Oak Ridge. You'll find forensics is already there./_

Just as Itachi was about to hang up he heard the annoying voice of Tobi in the background.

_/_**Ohhh! There's a dead body! I wanna see it. Kabuto! Lemme go!/ **There was a loud thump followed by Tobi yelling something about workplace assault.

Itachi heard an exasperated sigh on the other end. /_One last thing Itachi. Tsunade is there and she is not in a happy mood./_

The phone clicked leaving Itachi with a dead line. As far as he was concerned, the death of Hozuki was just another step closer to Sasuke. Putting his phone down, the Uchiha grabbed his toast and finished it on the way to his room to get dressed.

* * *

><p>Hozuki's body had already been removed, his former position chalked out in thick white lines upon the grimy asphalt behind The Clockwork Palace, a seedy strip-club if Itachi had ever seen one. The alley had been taped off with bright yellow tape reading <em>Caution: Do Not Cross, <em>swaying in the gentle breeze that had somehow managed to stir behind the dilapidated buildings. As the Uchiha rounded the corner he took quick note of the personnel on scene; Tsunade Senju, the greatest forensics specialist in the world, was already collecting blood samples from the spatters on the wall; Officers Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino from squad six were questioning club workers and possible witnesses; Tobi sat hovering on the edge of action, his mangled face twisting into a smile as he surveyed the surrounding carnage.

Itachi walked cautiously towards Kiba, making sure not to smear any blood or tip the evidence markers. The suspect Kiba had been questioning nodded and walked away just as the Uchiha stepped close. With a shake of his head, Kiba pulled open his notebook before summarizing all of his collected information.

"Detective Uchiha, I have interviewed everyone who worked here last night and early this morning, but none of them remember seeing Mr. Hozuki. Shino just went in to scan the video, but we're pretty sure it's just an accident that the body ended up outside of this alley."

Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, Itachi thought silently for a second before sighing deeply. "From what I noticed at Haruno's home, he may not have been here for the club. Thinking back,there was a lot of drugs littered throughout the residence. I may be on the wrong track, but I believe there might have been a drug dealer involved in this."

Kiba's eyes widened as understanding flowed in. "You mean the possible perp was a drug dealer?" He bit his lip and looked around before leaning closer. "The last time our perp was a drug dealer a lot of our paperwork went missing." Rubbing the back of his neck he continued, "I feel like we should keep this quiet if we want to find the killer."

Grimacing, Itachi nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah. Same thing happened with Sasuke's case. We connected the dots to a pimp who also seemed to be a drug dealer, but days later the paper work disappeared. I d-"

"You two!"

An angry female voice called across the alley causing the two men to jump before looking around for the source. A quick glance confirmed the angry woman was indeed Tsunade, and her wrath was pointed at them.

"Stop loitering around and get your asses to work. We only have a limited amount of time before we have to reopen the alley." Her hands were planted squarely on her hips and her slightly narrowed eyes dared them to talk back.

"Yes Ma'am." Itachi was the first to respond before whispering a parting comment to his companion, "Tell your partner and no one else." As he walked away, he noticed an almost imperceptible nod before Kiba turned and made his way towards the angry blonde woman.

With some of his suspicions confirmed, the Uchiha decided what he needed was not in the taped off area. Grabbing a roll of unused tape, he set off down the alley towards a darker corner he noticed on the way in and taped it off. The stench of garbage was revolting and Itachi suppressed the urge to gag at the offending stench that only seemed to grow as he crept deeper into the dead end alley. At the very end, where a fence prevented the Uchiha from moving any further, he reached behind him and pulled out his flashlight, a necessary move for even in the light of midday, the enormous buildings around him blotted out the sun, forcing the alley into a gray twilight.

The light illuminated the backway with its bright beam ending in a large circle wherever it contacted solid surfaces. A small stream of unidentifiable liquid ran out from under a dumpster, spreading into a toxic delta as it flowed into a place where a huge chunk of the asphalt had been ripped out of the ground. In the newly lit ally, Itachi noticed signs of common passage despite its out of the way nature. In places mirroring the first hole, now filled with water, the Uchiha noticed muddy footprints hardened into the ground and cigarette butts littering the area. On closer inspection, the cigarette butts weren't always for tobacco, many of them reeking of stale marijuana and other materials Itachi had no name for.

After thirty minutes of studying every inch and corner of the alley, Itachi was about to conclude failure in his search. With a heavy sigh, he shined the light around, this time focusing on the piles of garbage littering the backstreet. On bag in particular seemed to have been ripped open so he stooped over the tattered remains and squinted at the interior before pulling out a pair of gloves and donning them. With one hand holding the light and the other rummaging, Itachi squatted, making sure his knees didn't touch anything, and proceeded to mentally sort the items.

_'Meh, thats just more paper and hand towels. This must have been a bathroom trash of some sort. This is a lipstick case and an old condom wrapped up in this paper. Kinda gross, but not anything out of the ordinary. I really hope there is some payoff for do-"_

Itachi's hand lighted on something decidedly different than the paper hand towels he had been sifting through. The ziplock bag was covered in splatters of water and wads of paper towel stuck to the droplets creating a horrible paper mache. Hesitantly, he opened the bag and found a large manilla folder stuffed with papers clipped in a suspiciously familiar manner. Incensed, he furiously ripped the folder out of the trash and began flipping through the documents inside. The _police_ documents inside.

Without a moment to spare he ripped off his gloves and reached for his walkie-talkie. "Disbatch, this is Uchiha Itachi, I am requesting the presence of Uchiha Shisui at once. Over."

/_Copy that, this is Dispatch. Uchiha Shisui is currently out of the office. Over./_

"Copy that. This is important. I need him here NOW! Over."

/_Copy that. We'll see what we can do. Out./_

The raven haired man grit his teeth, tempted to throw his walkie at the nearest wall. He hated the radio formalities they were forced into and couldn't stand the dunces in dispatch. Thinking back to the matter at hand, anger welled inside of the Uchiha. He knew beyond a doubt someone in the department was stealing information and leaking it to a crime lord. The question remained: _Who?_

Growling, Itachi pulled the trash bag closer and dumped its contents on the ground, not caring about the mess he made. Two more bags like the one he found fell out, each containing police folders, and not all of them were from his district. One of the files was marked Suna and contained files stamped _'Classified' _the other contained files marked _'Misc'_ and had a dossier of police officers investigating the case. Next to each of the names were illegible markings, probably an encryption of some sort.

Stacking the folders into a neat pile, the Uchiha debated whether or not tearing into the other bags would be useful but decided against it, only the one bag had been disturbed. Something in the back of his mind nagged that the find had been too easy, but he waved it off thinking it merely the after effect of alcohol and sleep deprivation. The sounds of everyone else and their investigation prompted Itachi to slide the folders back into their sleeves and behind him; he really didn't want the whole force knowing about the missing files.

"DETECTIVE!" Tobi's head popped around the corner, his scarred face looking even more eerie in the alley's twilight. "Did you find something? Can I help! Please, please, please!" His irritating voice slapped Itachi in the face over and over, each high pitched syllable driving into his brain like an icepick.

"Shut UP!" Itachi roared. "If you want to help go keep an eye out for Shisui!" The Uchiha heaved a huge sigh before closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

Tobi on the other hand sobered immediately in his characteristic manner and stopped hopping in place. "Yes Detective. I'll see that Shisui find you promptly." With that the young man strode bake around the corner, making none of the sound he had made moments before.

Itachi looked at the ground and shook his head. The folders were placed just behind him preventing the unwanted eyes of anyone who would happen across his work. Knowing appearances meant everything, the raven-haired man turned back to the bags and began halfheartedly rummaging through another sack, this one filled with all manner of unsavory, rancid food. After a small eternity, footsteps alerted him to the presence of someone else turning into the backstreet.

"Tobi said you'd be around this corner." Shisui stepped lightly around the flowing trash, neatly missing the pothole filled with pseudo-sewage. "Seriously though, what was so important that you had to yell at Dispatch and pull me from the other side of Konoha?" The older Uchiha squatted next to him and cocked his head quizzically, his dark eyes staring deeply into Itachi's.

Wordlessly, the detective reached behind him, pulling the mache covered bags into the light and dropping them in front of Shisui. The latter looked at the bags with a raised eyebrow before gingerly picking the top off the stack and opening it with a swift movement. As he pulled the folder out and began reading through its contents, his eyes grew wider and wider, his countenance hardening.

"You found these in a trashbag?!' Shisui whispered incredulously. "Some of these files look like CIA level stuff."

"I know." Itachi rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at Shisui. "We can only keep this so quiet. But-" He trailed off knowing his next statement might not set well. "I feel maybe we should- you know- keep our own records of these."

Shisui looked at him weirdly, like the younger Uchiha had grown another head. "That is _Illegal _Itachi. Fucking ILLEGAL." He shook his head and made to grab the stack of folders but Itachi grabbed his wrist quickly.

"We have no idea how far this goes up. Honestly, we need to have some sort of proof on hand what is going on, in case these _magically _disappear again." The deadly drop in his voice told Shisui the man was not joking as he continued. "Something is happening under our noses in the department and this is the only proof we have of it. All of these documents contain information on the same guy, some crime lord who apparently has enough sway to make documents disappear not only in Konoha, but _classified _documents from Suna. This man is powerful and is working internationally. Tell me it's not in our interest to make sure these documents don't disappear again." He looked down and patted his pockets. "Shit, I think I left my phone in the car."

The older Uchiha looked conflicted for a second, but the reasoning behind Itachi's out of character request convinced him. "Here, use my phone and take a picture of all the pages. It shouldn't take to long. I'll send them in an email later."

"No. Come over to my house and we'll take care of it manually. I don't want a copy of this floating around in cyberspace."

Nodding in agreement, Shisui handed his phone to Itachi and stood up to grab his own gloves. After a moment of fumbling, he pulled the out and slid them over his hands and bent down to root through a bag. "Do you think there could be anymore in the bags out here?"

Itachi shook his head. "This bag over here" He pointed to the ripped container, " was the only one that seemed to have been messed with."

Silence fell over the two men, broken only by the rustling of paper and the faint _click _of Shisui's phone as picture after picture was taken. In total there were about sixty or so pages Itachi photographed. After the last pages was copied and placed back into its folder, Itachi replaced them in their bags and sealed them. Glancing at the clock on his cousin's phone, Itachi stood up quickly and passed the device back.

"If we want to talk to Orochimaru before he leaves, we should head into the office." The younger Uchiha slid his gloves off and balled them inside out. Looking over at his cousin, he noticed Shisui doing the same thing. "Let's drop our gloves in the bio-bin and head out."

Shisui nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>The office was mostly quiet as Itachi walked in. Most of the officers were trapped in the changing room, half attempting to leave and half trying to get on the clock. Ignoring the general chaos, Itachi strode into the main room and towards the closed office door marking Orochimaru's domain. Shisui needed to return to his case across town so he had left the task of informing Orochimaru to his cousin. A present indeed.<p>

Itachi hovered hesitantly outside of the room, his gut instinct telling him to leave and never come back. Fighting the urge to just leave, he raised his hand and rapped three times on the hard wooden door, his knocks echoing ominously in the empty room. After a few minutes of nothing, he raised his hand to knock again. The door opened under his hand.

"Come in Detective. What brings you in so late" Kabuto's sultry voice wafted across the room, causing the Uchiha to mentally shudder.

Brushing the shiver off, Itachi mustered a believable smile "I have some important information for the Chief of Police." Looking into Kabuto's quizzing eyes he quickly added "Regarding the Hozuki murder."

"Ah. I'll inform him right away." Kabuto gestured for Itachi to take a seat and disappeared into the far room.

Unlike the last time the Uchiha had visited, Orochimaru wasted no time strolling into the room and sitting in his chair majestically. He motioned for Kabuto and whispered something in his ear before shooing him out of the room and looking serenely into Itachi's eyes. An awkward moment passed before he licked his bottom lip sensuously and inhaled deeply, tilting his head forward in just the slightest manner.

"So, I hear you have information for my eyes only." His soft voice enveloped Itachi, caressing him in the same manner an uncle might do his innocent nephew. "What is it." He purred the last sentence, the faintest tinge of malice ghosting into the mix, conveying his slight irritation.

Slightly unnerved by the snake-lovers sinister charms, Itachi cleared his throat. "I found these on scene." He reached into his bag and pulled the three plastic wrapped folders out and dropped them on the desk. "A quick look into the document determined they match the documents that have gone missing and also-" Itachi pulled the bottom one to the top and pushed it towards Orochimaru. "This folder is marked as classified information from _Suna._"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and pulled the three folders towards him, ripping the bags open and scanning the information in the files. After a few moments of thick silence he gently dropped the folders down before looking into Itachi's dark eyes. "Who else knows about this?"

Something in Itachi told him not to mention Shisui, and internally he conflicted with himself wondering if he should mention his cousin.

"WHO KNOWS!" Orochimaru roared across the table, slamming his hands down on the polished surface, his face contorted in rage.

Jumping at the sudden outburst Itachi replied. "Just me sir."

Leaning back, the Chief's calm demeanor returned as if nothing had transpired. "Good. I feel it is in our best interest to keep this under wraps." He paused for a moment as he thought silently, "I'll see to it these find their way back into their proper files and this" He tapped the Suna file "finds its way to the right authorities."

Itachi nodded once, inwardly glad that the mans former rage had quelled as fast as it rose. As he made to stand, Orochimaru coughed quietly, regaining his lost attention."

"I trust you are still mulling over our discussion the other day?" The question sounded more like a threat than a query. The yellow-eyed man slid his tongue over his bottom lip before continuing. "No need to answer, from your face I'm sure you're taking it into serious consideration." He leaned back and stared at the Uchiha down his nose. "I won't pressure you." The unspoken _yet _lingered in the air like a poisonous fog.

The Uchiha looked down, his eyes landing on the self-ingesting snake adorning the carpet. Pursing his lips, he looked up into the slitted eyes of Orochimaru and inwardly sighed. "I understand this is a time sensitive issue. I will sort the matter out quickly."

Something slithered across Orochimaru's eyes to quickly for Itachi to read. "I see." The Chief pushed back in his chair and stood up. "We'll discuss this in more detail at a later date. Please, see yourself out." He turned around and retreated into the dark recesses of the office.

Heaving a sigh, Itachi turned and opened the door into the chaotic office. Shift change has apparently already happened, the office was filled with only slightly familiar faces, the night shift. Not everyone had a desk, but with few exceptions most desks were shared by one day and one night officer. The two detectives, Itachi and Jiraya warranted their own desks because of their sheer caseload; Shisui also maintained a single desk due to his role in coordinating large scale investigations. Other officers here and there had a desk to themselves, but with the continually growing force those days were numbered.

No one in the office spared him a glance as he briskly crossed the room and out the double glass doors on the end. A migraine had started creeping between the Uchiha's brows, causing him to grimace in pain. The closest source of alleviation either lay in the crowded office room or in the cabinet at home. Warring internally for a second he decided the silent drive in misery was better then the quick, loud route to his desk. Taking a deep breath, he pulled his jacket up against the cold and stepped into the darkness of the night.

He had parked further down the street than usual due to the large number of squad cars lining the front for squad change. The night was only slightly chilly, so Itachi didn't mind the short jaunt to his vehicle, silently thanking the stars that the street wasn't busy. As he neared his car, the Uchiha suddenly felt his pocket vibrating. Surprised, he slid his hand into his pocket and took hold of his phone, inwardly glad he had remembered to retrieve it from his vehicle earlier.

The screen lit the dim street as the phone continued to alert him. Looking at the caller ID, the Uchiha expected to see _Work, _or possibly _Shisui, _but to his extreme surprise it read:

_Unknown Caller: Konohagakure.  
><em>

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed the chapter and all of the wonderful plot that's starting to bloom. As I mentioned above, I should be posting more often so keep your eyes out. <strong>

**Please review and subscribe!**

**-Wolfe**


	5. Familiar Voices

**Yay! The holidays are over and my normal schedule can resume. I am glad you are all still with me and I hope you enjoy the newest installment of Broken Mirrors. I start work again this week so I should hopefully be able to write and post more. I apologize for the wait, Christmas kinda wrecked my writing plans. **

—**Wolfe**

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><p><strong>Familiar Voices<strong>

Itachi bent his head over the menu in his hands, blurry words finally forming into foods and prices as he squinted through the pain of his migraine. The Pot Called was his favorite tea-house and the calming atmosphere generally had the ability to soothe the ache between his brow, a much needed remedy after the day grew longer and more complicated. His now silent cell lay next to his elbow bearing no trace of the strange call from earlier. Shaking his head, the Uchiha closed his menu before closing his eyes and breathing deeply.

"May I take your order, Sir?"

A bright voice stirred the man from his brief respite, forcing him to crack an eye and then the other before yawning back into existence. "Yeah. Uh, I'd like a London Fog and a plate of the house special please."

"Okay! I'll get this sent in right away."The young blue-haired girl smiled brightly before taking his menu and bouncing off towards the kitchen.

"You Uchiha always have women lusting after you, don't you?"

The unannounced visitor startled Itachi, causing him to jump a little and look over his shoulder to acknowledge the speaker. From his seated position all he could make out at first was a bright red jacket covering the subtle curve of a woman's chest.. Tilting his head upwards, dark green eyes filled with mirthless disdain glared at him from under a stock of stringy, pink hair. With sudden understanding, the Uchiha rose quickly and faced the woman.

"Ms. Haruno. Here, have a seat please." Itachi took the woman by the hand and guided her to the other side of the table before pulling her chair out and allowing her to sit. After situating his guest in her chair, the raven-haired man resumed his own.

The rosette before him continued to glare before grabbing the menu in front of her and opening it. After a brief second, she peeked over the top and sneered, "Seriously, you guys are all alike. I'm not made of glass, I can pull my own fucking chair out." Ms. Haruno narrowed her eyes before flipping her hair back over her shoulder and continuing down the menu.

Across the table, Itachi crossed his arms and silently studied the woman before him. She had a surprisingly large forehead tastefully framed with long rosette locks, her emerald eyes carried more than initial distrust and for a second seemed almost . . . innocent? Under normal circumstances she appeared to be a strikingly beautiful woman, but the greasy hair and fading bruises covered in thick base painted an entirely different picture. He noticed almost as a knee jerk reaction that her arms and chest were covered completely by the jacket, leaving nothing for the prying eye.

"Isn't it a little soon for you to be out of the hospital ma'am?" Itachi probed, trying to gauge the nature of the impromptu meeting.

Closing the menu quickly, the woman's eyes widened before she leaned over the table. "Shhh! Do you fucking think I want everyone knowing my affairs?" With a deep breath she pulled back into her careless sitting position. "Also, call me 'Sakura,' I'm not an old bitty."

The bright blue-haired girl returned with Itachi's steaming cup of milk-filled tea and a plate topped with two sandwich halves, and a bowl of steaming soup. With a neat curtsy, she turned to Sakura and smiled, though not as broadly as for Itachi. "Can I take your order Ma'am?"

With a subtle eye-roll, the rosette pursed her lips before glancing at the menu one last time. "I would like a vanilla latte with whipped cream and two extra shots." She paused for a moment to continue "I'd also like two turkey paninis, whole wheat bread, no mayonnaise or lettuce."

Scribbling furiously, the waitress responded without looking up "Is this together or separate?"

"Sep—"

"Together" Itachi cut the rosette off before looking at the waitress. "This will be together, just add it to my tab." He shot the waitress a half-smile before looking down at his meal, causing a hot blush to creep up her cheeks.

"I'll just . . . I'll go see to that right away." The girl scampered away leaving the two adults alone at their booth.

"I can pay for myself" Sakura hissed across the table, her jaw setting in a stiff line as she crossed her arms and turned to the side. "I'm not some fucking damsel you can pay off with money and _pretty looks." _She spat the last words in disgust, her head tilting towards the receding back of their waitress.

Itachi sighed deeply before leaning forward and taking a bite of his rapidly cooling soup. The house special proved to be a hearty potato soup with thick cheddar cheese, green chives, and crunchy bacon stirred into the mix. The sandwich on the side proved to be a grilled cheese with three different types of cheese spilling out from under the perfectly browned crusts. The Uchiha smiled a little as he bit into the crunchy morsel, a thick glob of cheese spilling out from the other side. Savoring the bite, he took a napkin and wiped his mouth, silently watching the woman across from him.

Her posture had relaxed slightly after sitting down and more so after ordering her dinner. Something about the way her eyes flitted around the room kept Itachi on guard, his fingers twitching slightly on the right side, braced for an altercation. Sakura looked worn out, dark circles surrounded her eyes, sinking them further and further into her skull. The slight cave in her cheeks spoke of malnourishment, or as he thought for a moment, the drugs he'd seen at her house.

The silence between the two was palpable, a thick tension settling like a lion over its prey, waiting to snap at the slightest provocation. Itachi knew the meeting was more than just pleasantries; he was more than ready for the shoe to fall.

"Here's your food ma'am," The waitress chimed as she set a steaming cup and a plate down before Sakura, "And your ticket . . . Sir" She placed the ticket down quickly before pulling her hands back and sticking them in her pockets. "Do you need anything else?" She seemed quite anxious and bit her lip as she waited for an answer.

"We're just fine, thank you. If we need anything we'll wave you over." Itachi's silken tenor responded.

The girl nodded nervously before running off to the back. Itachi knew what to expect when he turned the tab over and quickly shoved it in his pocket, hoping Sakura wouldn't notice the pink phone number in the corner. She did.

"It's so easy for you isn't it?" Sakura kvetched.

"Do you have anything to say other than derogatory things about my family name and thinly veiled insults?" Itachi looked at the woman sternly. "I didn't have to meet you here, nor did I have to accept any proposal for a meeting outside of the office." He paused letting his words sink in, "From the way you carry yourself and the fact I've thoroughly searched your house, I assume you're going to ask a favor of me." He took a bite of his sandwich, staring into Sakura's eyes.

She bit her lip and looked down, bending under the weight of Itachi's words. Her tough girl facade shattering in an instant as her hands wrung together. With seemingly forced will, she pulled them apart and picked up a panini and gave it a look more suited for pig slop. After a second she bit into it with a small crunch.

Itachi finished the first half of his sandwich and took a bite of soup before continuing. "Why did you call me?" His eyes pierced directly into her, reading every movement, gauging every reaction, weighing every action. His unnerving stare sending visible shivers down her spine.

"I—" She started to speak and closed her eyes, shuddering a little. After a few rapid breaths she opened her eyes and looked at Itachi. "My home isn't safe anymore."

The Uchiha cocked his head to the side slightly, a silent cue for her to continue.

"The police were crawling all over my house the last few days and _suddenly _the man who failed to kill me ends up dead in an ally not to far from our . . . house."

Her pause was not lost upon Itachi and he silently wondered if she was obliquely referencing the place where he'd found the documents—the drug swap. He made a mental note as Sakura continued.

"I'm afraid that _He _is after me." She looked around jerkily as if expecting someone to jump out of the shadows. "His network is huge and he has eyes and ears everywhere. The reason I though you could help—"

One of the waitresses dropped a glass causing it to shatter. Sakura jumped, bumping into the table and causing her coffee to splash over the side and onto her pile of napkins. Her breathing started coming in short gasps as her eyes darted around the room. After realizing the actual source of the noise rather than the one in her head, she started to relax and her breathing slowed. With a shaking hand she picked up her cup and took a long sip from her coffee and looked back at Itachi before setting the cup back down.

The fear had yet to leave her eyes and for a second the Uchiha was lost in her emerald stare. Was that the same look Sasuke had before his disappearance? Itachi brushed the thought away, this woman and his brother has few things in common. He leaned over and finished the last of his soup in a couple bites, the thick soup warming his insides and brightening his mood momentarily.

"You mentioned _Him_ when I interviewed you the other day, but you really didn't go into much detail." Itachi spoke cautiously, using all of his skills as a detective to poke around the truth without setting his addressee off. "What can you tell me about this man?" He forced himself to relax his posture, hoping Sakura would subconsciously do the same. Biting into the second half of his sandwich, he focused he gaze on the woman in front of him, silently demanding an answer.

Sakura bit her thumb anxiously before looking around. After a second her shoulders drooped into a more comfortable, if guarded position. "I can't tell you anything," She lowered her voice to a whisper as she picked up her cup to drink "_he has ears everywhere."_ The rosette held her cup in both hands, blowing cool air over the cup causing the strong smell of espresso fill Itachi's nose.

The raven-haired man caught on the game quickly and decided to put a quick stop to it. "Fine, I can't help you if you refuse to talk to me." Itachi waved the young blue-haired waitress before digging in his pocket and drawing out his debit card. The young lady was over quickly, practically fawning over the Uchiha when he wasn't looking.

"Can I get you anything else?" She asked excitedly, knowing full well Itachi had seen her number.

"No thank you, I'm just going to pay out so I can leave." He handed her the card, his hand lingering on hers a fraction longer than it should have. "Put a nice tip on for yourself, you deserve it." He winked and pulled his hand away, silently patting the pocket he put the tab in. The girl's eyes widened, knowing full well what he was getting at.

"Oh." Was all she could say before turning and walking with a small spring.

Sakura stiffened as she witnessed the exchange, glowering as the young woman turned and flounced off towards the register. "You fucking Uchiha and your—"

"This _fucking Uchiha _is ready to leave. I wish you a good evening and the best of luck with _Him._" Itachi pushed his chair back and stood up before strolling towards the register to take his card back from the blue-haired waitress. A few more steps had him out the door, standing in the cool air of the night.

Itachi leaned against a wall just down the row from the tea-shop and waited. A second later an infuriated rosette burst from the doors only to stop in her tracks. The Uchiha pulled himself into the shadows as a man with a wicked heart pendant dangling on his chest stepped from his booth in a neighboring shop and out onto the street. Within seconds he was next to the rosette, forcefully grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the alley. The Uchiha fingered the Beretta holstered on his right side and followed only after the rosette's locks disappeared around the corner.

The silver-haired man was no longer playing at nice as he forcefully pushed Sakura against the wall. "Fucking bitch! Talking to the police now!" He slapped her across the face before balling his hand into a fist. "All of the warnings we sent you and still you don't understand you bubble-gum whore!" He spat in her face before bringing his knee into her gut. "I guess I can make you a sacrifice to my god Jashin. Leader told me I could do with you what I want."

Creeping closer and closer, Itachi positioned himself behind a dumpster, just out of the man's sight. His gun was unholstered and in his hand, as he prepared to make his stand. The sound of metal sliding on metal caught his immediate attention. Looking out from his cover, he saw a large knife gleaming in the faint light falling through the alley. Itachi took in a deep breath and stood, facing the man with his gun pointed forward.

"Police! Hold right there!" The detective barked across the distance between him and Sakura's attacker. "Put down your weapon!" He took a step forward, leaving the protective confines of his makeshift shelter, but certain the man carried no other weapon.

The Jashin-follower's eyes widened before looking back at the doubled form of his victim. "You set me up, fucking bitch!" The man roared, his knife still positioned dangerously close to the rosette. "Take another step officer and I'll have you're pretty bitch's head!"

"If you don't put the knife down I will not hesitate to shoot!" The raven-haired man called back. Taking another step closer to the manic with the knife.

Laughter, dark, maniacal laughter filled the alley, echoing between all of the buildings into a deafening cacophony. "I'm . . ." The man started and laughed again. "I'm _invincible!_ Kill me if you can!" The man hunched over in laughter, all of his attention focused on Itachi.

Sakura took advantage of his momentary distraction and kicked him in the side of the knee, folding the appendage inward with a sickening _crunch. _With a violent shove, Sakura tumbled the man over his broken knee and ran towards Itachi.

Once the woman was safely behind him, Itachi put his arm out to keep her there and aimed his gun at the downed man. The silver-haired man somehow levered himself up and was bracing himself on his left hand, favoring the opposite leg as he regarded the two figures before him.

"Fuck off you two!" He yelled, a slight twinge of pain in his voice. "I'll fucking kill the both of you later. Just wait until Leader hears about this!" The man limped around and started hobbling further down the alley. Just as Itachi was about turn to Sakura the voice called back again. "Carefull where you put your pretty little feet bitch! Snakes are always looking to bite the unwary."

The man was out of view this time, but his words had a visible effect on the rosette as she fainted, her knees giving out quite suddenly, causing her to collapse against Itachi's feet.

* * *

><p>Itachi lay in his chair head thrown back with his eyes closed against the dim light of his apartment. He had absolutely no idea what to do now. Sakura was supposed to storm out of the shop and find him, not be carried off to by some creeper to be beaten in the alley. The Uchiha silently berated himself for how he had acted towards the rosette now sleeping on his couch. Part of him realized the significance of what he'd learned in the encounter, but the other half of him could not get past the fact Sakura would have died if he had actually left earlier.<p>

The young woman had been out for the better part of an hour, barely even stirring when Itachi had picked her frail body up in the alley and carried her to his car. After her voiced concern about people and the random attack, the only person her could trust with her safety, was himself.

Moral issues plagued his mind. He shouldn't be housing a witness to his current investigation. This woman probably wouldn't want his help and taking her _unconscious _person to his _home. _ The Uchiha shuddered at the possible implications and and breathed deeply. Today had been completely wrong, from the call to a crime scene, to finding the files, to his conversation with Orochimaru, to _this!_ He pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking quietly of the next possible course.

On one hand he couldn't really trust anyone except maybe Shisui to not be a pocketed cop. On the other hand, having this woman in his home broke many, many moral and ethical codes. On top of everything, if she got the wrong notion when she woke up, his entire career could be jeopardized. Itachi groaned as headlines filled his head. If papers even got a whiff of this the whole department would be smeared.

He sighed, levering himself out of his chair and padding into the kitchen. Today may have been a little off, but old habits die hard. Itachi opened his cabinet, pulling the white half-empty bottle of aged sake from the top right corner and set it on the cabinet next to him. Pulling red pan from the wall mount above the stove he filled it half full of water, placing it on the burning and lighting the fire beneath. With a contented sigh he gently placed the bottle into the center and turned towards the cabinet. Since he'd already eaten supper, Itachi only had to make his dry toast for the morning.

Working silently as not to wake his guest, he opened the cabinet over his toaster and pulled out the last portion of a loaf of bread. Itachi grimaced as he pulled out two slices, leaving a single piece, the bun in the bottom of the back. Not wanting to store a single slice of bread, and knowing he wouldn't eat three slices in the morning, the Uchiha pulled down a saucer and set it on the cabinet. The first two pieces found their way into the toaster and the third was resting on the plate.

Itachi stared at it. With a sigh, he crumpled up the bread bag and threw it in the trash. He returned to the cabinet and looked at the plate holding his bread.

"Are you just going to stare at the bread, or are you going to do something with it?" A yawn filled voice asked behind him.

Startled, the raven-haired man whipped around to look at the speaker. It was Sakura. With a sigh and a half-smile he shook his head and looked down at the offending bread. "If you want it you can have it, it is the last piece and I have no idea what to do—"

The rosette pushed herself passed him and grabbed the bread shoving it into her mouth before he could even finish. Still chewing she looked pointedly at the Uchiha with accusatory eyes. After a few minutes of uninterrupted chewing, she swallowed with a load gulp. "Why did you bring me here?"

The Uchiha had expected the question. "You passed out in the alley and I thought it prudent to take care of you myself rather than put you in the questionable hands of anyone else." The well-rehearsed answer came out smoother than he'd expected and somehow he had managed to keep his impassive mask.

"Oh." She nodded and looked around. "This is a nice place you got, do you share with anyone?" She walked around the kitchen and towards the dining room. It's a bit smaller than my house, but it feels _different."_

Itachi bit back an uncharacteristic retort involving the smell of drugs and stale alcohol. "It's just me here." He refused to mention his brother, hoping that maybe the woman would open up on her own and not feel pressured.

"So, do you have any water, or even . . ." She eyed the sake greedily. Her body inching towards it as if drawn by some magnetic field.

"None of that Ms. Haruno. I know you're only twenty, and if I remember right, the drinking age is twenty-one." He couldn't help but goad the girl just a little. "I do have some kool-aid around here somewhere, apologies for my lapse in memory, I forgot to get your Capri-Sun while I was out." Itachi drawled.

"Oh fuck you."

"Whoa now. This is my house. Why the rudeness all of a sudden." Itachi asked in a sickly sweet voice. "I was just offering you an age appropriate beverage."

The rosette glared at him before huffing loudly. "Fine. Can I just have a glass of tap water, or am I too young for that too?" Sakura set her jaw and regarded him with thinly veiled impatience. After receiving no response she huffed even louder and stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Itachi with a mirthless smirk.

_I may be letting you stay in my house but I never said I'd let it be easy. _Itachi opened a cabinent and pulled a clear glass cup and another small milky one out of his cabinet and set them down. With slight annoyance, he lifted the first up and placed it under the tap, filling it with cool water and replacing it on the counter. _I'm still not sure how this is going to work out though. Shisui will be less than pleased to learn of this new development. _Pinching the bridge of his nose, The Uchiha stepped towards the stove and removed his sake from the heat. Using an oven mitt to protect his fingers from the scalding ceramic container, he lifted it out and poured a small amount into the remaining cup.

Sakura was curled up on his couch looking down at her phone, her long slender legs tucked up under her as she leaned on the plush arm.

_Ahem. _Itachi cleared his throat a little to gain her attention before walking over and placing the crystal glass in her hands. Without a word, he stepped back towards his chair and sat heavily in its wonderful embrace. With closed eyes he raised his cup and took a long, much needed sip of the bitter alcohol. Within moments his entire body had relaxed, allowing him to sink comfortably into the plush confines of his seat.

The two sat in complete silence broken only by the occasional sip from their respective beverages. Itachi mentally prepared himself for the conversation he knew had to be held. Sakura was merely a guest sitting in his living room right now, but the moment she stayed the night, she was staying _with _him. The implications began swirling around his head again as he considered all of the possible effects of this arrangement. The most obvious was the sheer _appearance_ of Itachi housing a crime scene victim and the perverted notions some of the community would have. The last thing the Uchiha wanted was extortion allegations or being called a sexual opportunist. Most problematically, the very real possibility of him being removed from the case loomed over his head. This would not only put his only lead in inaccessible reach, but would compromise any chance of new information actually being applied to his brothers case.

_On the other hand however, this woman needs protection. Hell, if I hadn't been there earlier, she would be dead in an alley. _Itachi's forehead crinkled as he tried to think through any other possibilities, but everything pointed to this being the best situation. With a heavy sigh and his mind made up, the Uchiha pulled his phone from his pocket.

Somehow in all of the commotion he'd missed a text from Konan asking what the meeting earlier was about. Itachi mentally kicked himself for not thanking the sweet blue-haired girl for playing her part earlier in ruffling Sakura's feathers. The Uchiha pushed it aside, he'd tend to it after he attended to the matter at hand. A few button presses later, the phone was ringing hollowly in his ear, the call back tone emerging from nothing and disappearing into the same. After two rings a rattle alerted him to the presense of someone else on the line.

/_Hey Itachi! What's up?/_

"Hey Shisui . . ." Not wanting to bog the conversation down with meaningless chatter, the Uchiha took a deep breath "I need to tell you something."

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><p>To say Shisui was not pleased was an understatement. The elder Uchiha stomped around the living room, completely ignoring the wide eyes of the rosette on the couch as he verbally waylaid his cousin. After hanging up, the older man was bursting through the door in much less time than it should have taken to travel across town.<p>

"What in this god-forsaken world made you think _this _was a _good idea!"_ The older man ran a hand through his hair, pausing with his hand still on his head before turning to the woman on the couch. After a brief glance he turned back to Itachi. "Seriously?" He all but yelled, "This woman is either going to get you killed or fired. Not necessarily in that order either."

Itachi sat calmly in his chair, suffering the inevitable onslaught. He knew Shisui would react horribly and have to vent his frustrations before coming to a helpful conclusion. Unlike normal rants however, this one just never seemed to end. The fury in his cousins voice was unmatched except by his exasperation and fear of possible consequences. Like Itachi had already mused, Shisui was worried about the stigmas that would attach to Itachi if everything went awry, but he was also worried about the possible impact on the station as well. Itachi just sat and listened.

". . . and further more, _what_ do you even know about her! Hm? Jesus Christ, Itachi, I thought you had more sense than this." Shisui stopped his pacing right in front of Itachi and leaned down, slamming both hands down on the arms of the younger Uchiha's chair, staring deeply into his eyes. A small eternity passed before Shisui closed his and sighed before pushing himself off the chair and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine. I can see that you're adament and that you _may _have put some thought into this."

The seated man released a stream of pent air slowly, as if fearing recourse. Itachi had seen his cousin pissed, but this was beyond anything he'd ever seen. "Shisui I—"

Shisui put his hand up and shook his head. "I don't need any excuses. While I'm not sure I'd do the same, I understand your reasoning." Walking over to the couch, the olderman plopped into the corner across from Sakura before turning to address her. "Your situation is pretty bad, but even that wont stop me from hunting you down if something happens to him" The pleasant enough tone was belied by his slight growl and narrowed eyes.

Sakura merely nodded; she'd been fairly quiet since Shisui barged through the door an hour earlier. Even her apparent disdain for Uchiha's was kept quite as she sat silently on the couch listening to two—one—man decide her future living arrangement.

Looking at the two sitting on the couch, Itachi suddenly felt a twinge of guilt for having brought Shisui into his self-made dilemma. Inwardly however he felt relieved that Shisui wasn't wholly against the plan, because throwing the girl out wasn't really an option, but neither was suffering his cousins unrelenting ire.

"Itachi, do you have a drink?" Shisui suddenly asked from the couch. "Today has been really shitty and I know you have liquor in there."

The younger man smiled and got up, "You know Shisui, you're going to get a beer-belly with all of this beer and shit you drink."

Shisui looked up from his position on the couch, though smirking slighly at the jest, his tone was anything but, "Honestly though, between . . . those papers, and . . ." pausing slightly he flicked his eyes towards Sakura and back "everything else, it's been pretty rough."

The standing Uchiha nodded in agreement and walked into the kitchen. At least one person would be on his side if shit hit the fan.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading this week's chapter of Broken Mirrors. I really hope you liked it and look forward to hearing your comments. <strong>

**Please don't forget to review and follow so that you don't miss a single thing. **

—**Wolfe**


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